Child care has grown so expensive that full-time care now costs more than rent in 16 of the nation’s 100 largest cities, according to a new report.
LendingTree, the personal finance site, compared the monthly cost of infant care with average rents for a two-bedroom home in big cities.
In quite a few cities, the analysis found, child care is the greater expense.
- In Syracuse, New York, child care costs $1,417 on average, LendingTree found. Monthly rent for a two-bedroom unit costs $1,126.
- In Spokane, Washington, child care averages $1,588 a month. Rent averages $1,304.
- In Minneapolis, child care costs $1,767 on average. Rent costs $1,622.
The LendingTree report , published Sept. 16, draws on child care figures from the nonprofit Child Care Aware of America and compares them with federal rent data.
It’s the latest in a string of surveys and studies to sound alarms on the rising costs of child care.