What it really costs to raise a child in 2026, and why parents say it feels heavier than ever

A new report from LendingTree puts a number to what so many families have been feeling in real time.

In 2026, the cost of raising a child from birth through age 18 has climbed to an estimated $303,418, even after tax credits. That is a slight bump from last year, but zoom out, and the shift is harder to ignore: Since 2023, that number has jumped by nearly 28%.

"Parents don't need a report to tell them raising kids has gotten more expensive, because we have been living it," Ashley Feinstein Gerstley, a certified financial planner, author and founder of The Fiscal Femme, told "Good Morning America." "Families feel it most in housing, in childcare and at the grocery store."

For parents, this is not just a statistic. It is the quiet recalculating at the grocery store, the pause before signing up for another activity, the constant reshuffling of what fits into the monthly budget.

"Between day care, groceries and just trying to keep up with everything they need, it feels like every paycheck already has a job," Nadine Patel, a New Jersey mom of two, told "GMA." "You plan, you budget, you think you have it under control, and then something else comes up."

"It is never just one big expense. It is all the little ones that keep showing up," Patel added.

The slow build of everyday expenses

According to the new report, families are spending an average of $16,857 a year per child, a number that reflects the layering of everyday life.

Housing gets a little tighter, grocery bills inch up, transportation changes, and suddenly there is a new line item for something like soccer or school supplies that did not exist a year ago.

Those increases are not random, Gerstley said, but tied to broader economic shifts that have been building for years.

"A lot of this started with pressures that built during and after the pandemic," she said. "Housing inventory was already tight, then more people moved, demand went up, and higher interest rates made it harder for families to find affordable options."

...And then there is child care

LendingTree reports that for many families, day care remains the single biggest expense in the early years, often topping $17,000 annually.

To put that number in perspective, the federal government has long defined "affordable" child care as costing no more than 7% of a family's income.

In reality, many families are paying two to three times that amount. And while programs like Head Start and child care subsidies exist, they are typically limited to the lowest-income households, leaving many middle-income families in a gap: They earn too much to qualify for assistance, but not enough for care to feel manageable.

"The federal subsidies that helped keep child care costs in check during the pandemic expired in 2023, and that raised costs for daycares," Gerstley explained. "Workers who left the industry during COVID did not come back, and wages had to rise to fill the gap. Those costs were passed along to parents."

Food costs are another piece of the puzzle.

"Food prices jumped because it became more expensive to produce, package and transport groceries," she said. "Higher labor costs, supply chain disruptions and fuel prices all played a role. And once food prices go up, they do not usually come down."

Where you live matters more than ever

The price of parenting varies widely by ZIP code.

In Hawaii, families are looking at a total cost of more than $412,000 over 18 years, more than double the cost of raising a child in some states.

States like Alaska, Maryland, California and New Jersey are not far behind, all hovering around or above the $300,000 mark.

On the other end, places like New Hampshire and Mississippi come in significantly lower, closer to $200,000 total.

But even in the "lower cost" states, parents say the day-to-day experience still feels expensive. The gap is real, but so is the pressure everywhere.

A bigger share of the family budget

One of the more sobering -- and likely relatable -- takeaways from the report is how much of a family's income is going toward raising young kids.

In the first five years alone, parents spend about 22% of their income on basic expenses related to their child. In some places, it is even higher. Families in Hawaii are spending more than a quarter of what they earn just to cover those early years.

"What makes it especially hard is that paychecks have not kept pace with the rising costs," Gerstley said. "When the cost of the essentials rises faster than income, there is less room in the budget for everything else. And with higher inflation over the last few years, almost everything else got more expensive too, so we are really feeling the squeeze."

That reality helps explain why so many parents describe the early years not just as busy, but also financially intense.

"We used to buy everything new with our first," Noelle Sullivan, a mother of three in Ohio, told "GMA." "Now, it is like, if I can borrow it, find it used or skip it altogether, I will. You realize pretty quickly what actually matters and what does not."

For other families, the focus in this economic reality is less on cutting and more on control.

"I cannot always reduce the costs, but I can plan better for them," said Jacob Turner, a dad in San Diego. "We have a separate account just for 'kid expenses' now -- even things like birthday parties or camp deposits. It helps take some of the panic out of it."