Which childcare option costs YOUR family the least?
We rank all 6 — daycare center, home daycare, nanny, nanny share, au pair, grandparent care — by true yearly cost after tax savings.
The Millers, 2 kids in Hartford — Home daycare wins at $14,700/yr, $188/month less than a daycare center.
With grandparent help: just $936/yr.
How to use
- Guide me (default): answer a few plain-English questions — we'll fill in the technical stuff and show our work.
- Check the summary, tap any value to adjust it, or flip to "I know my numbers" for the full sliders.
- Green highlights the cheapest true cost. Estimates are always labeled.
+ New here? The 30-second version
Every option — daycare, nanny, au pair, and the rest — gets boiled down to one number: what it truly costs you per year after tax savings. That way you compare apples to apples, not sticker prices.
Answer a few questions and we’ll do the math. Tap any whenever a term looks unfamiliar.
Whose numbers are these?
Start with a real family's quotes, then make them yours.
Your tax assumptions
Applies to every option. 2026 IRS max Dependent Care FSA: $7,500.
Your results
True annual cost = base + payroll taxes + extras − sibling discount − FSA tax savings .