The Most Expensive States To Raise Kids

Kids may be small, but the cost of raising them is anything but.

Between food, housing, clothing, transportation, child care, and health insurance, the price of parenthood is on the rise — and, over the first 18 years of a child’s life, can now rival the cost of a brand-new Ferrari.

How Much Does It Cost To Raise a Child?

While any mom or dad will likely tell you that you can’t put a price tag on parenthood, LendingTree has gone ahead and done it anyway. For the fourth year in a row, the financial website has pulled an exhaustive amount of data (primarily dating to 2024) in order to tally up the cost of what it takes, money-wise, to raise a child. The result is a bigger number than ever before: $303,418, up 1.9% from the 2025 report, when that figure topped out at $297,674. 

The cost is even more jaw-dropping when you consider how it has changed since 2023, when LendingTree first created this report. Back then, the estimated cost of raising a kid during their first 18 years was $237,482, meaning that the total has climbed a whopping 27.8% in just three years.

Much of the disparity boils down to two major expenses: housing and child care. 

Child care costs remain one of the biggest financial burdens facing parents, claiming between 10% and 33% of a household’s median income. And according to The New York Times, that number is rising even faster than inflation.

Sarah Rittling, executive director of the First Five Years Fund, a nonprofit that advocates for affordable child care and education, said in a statement about the report, “Child care costs stretch household budgets to the breaking point. When the early years of raising a child are also the most expensive, it puts enormous pressure on parents who are trying to work and support their families.”

Housing, meanwhile, saw the sharpest year-over-year increase, rising 48.9%. Whether you rent or own, the nationwide trend is an upward one, with some states costing more than others.

What Is the Most Expensive State To Raise a Child?

While it’s impossible to predict every expense parenthood will bring, LendingTree found that a child’s earliest years tend to be the most expensive. (As the report tracks expenses only up to 18 years of age, college tuition bills were not factored into the data.) The costs vary greatly depending on where you live — and nowhere are they higher than in Hawaii. 

Ocean views, black sand beaches, and active volcanoes don’t come cheap. In Hawaii, the estimated annual cost of raising a small child for the first five years is $40,342 — nearly 10% higher than in the second costliest state, Maryland ($36,419), followed by Massachusetts ($34,247) in third. 

Coastal living appears to come with a particularly steep parenting premium. Of the 10 most expensive states to raise a small child in — which are listed below — only one, Colorado, is not on a coast. 

The 10 Most Expensive States To Raise a Small Child

1. Hawaii – $40,342
2. Maryland – $36,419
3. Massachusetts – $34,247
4. California – $33,692
5. New Jersey – $31,948
6. Washington – $31,937
7. Colorado – $31,000
8. New York – $30,209
9. Washington, D.C. – $30,146
10. Connecticut – $29,674

Meanwhile, many of the least expensive states to raise a child in are concentrated in the South. 

The 10 Least Expensive States To Raise a Small Child

1. Mississippi – $17,148
2. Alabama – $18,019
3. South Dakota – $18,622
4. South Carolina – $18,910
5. Arkansas – $19,204
6. Georgia – $20,365
7. Texas – $20,968
8. Iowa – $21,137
9. Oklahoma – $21,218
10. Louisiana – $21,303

The joys of parenthood may be universal, but the costs can vary wildly depending on your ZIP code.

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