Household Bills
Raising a child costs more than buying a house
Bringing up a child in the UK is more expensive than buying a house, according to a report.
The cost of raising a child from birth to the age of 21 is now £231,843, while the average price of a semi-detached house is £219,255.
According to research from LV=, the cost of bringing up offspring has increased by more than £2,500 in the last year, and more than £13,000 over the last five years.
It said the most expensive years are between the ages of one and four, with the cost of childcare and babysitting, amounting to nearly a third (30%) of the total cost of raising a child.
Of all the costs, childcare increased by the most over the past year, up 4.3% from £67,586 in 2015 to £70,466, making it the second biggest expense after education.
The average annual cost of raising a child now takes up more than a third of the typical UK household’s net income and six in ten parents (59%) admit they’re struggling to manage their outgoings, the report found.
