Breaking down babysitting costs across the U.S.

Written by:
December 5, 2017
Uvarov Stanislav // Shutterstock

Intro

Finding someone to watch your kids can be one of the most stressful decisions a parent has to make. From reference checks to heated competition with the neighbors, the challenges in snagging a top babysitter can make date night seem impossible.

Once you’ve found a sitter you can trust, the question becomes: how much should you pay? While your little one’s safety and happiness is surely priceless (not to mention your night off is long overdue), it can be a challenge to understand what the fair market rate is.

Fortunately, UrbanSitter’s 2017 National Childcare Survey offers comprehensive insights into babysitting costs and trends across the country. From UrbanSitter’s analysis of 120,000 data points, we’ve compiled average booking rates across 15 major cities for one, two, and three or more children, ranking our list by the average hourly babysitting cost for one child.

Read on to discover which area has the most expensive babysitting rates and whether you’re actually in line with the market for your nearest metro. Who knows? Maybe next movie night you can treat yourself to that extra-large popcorn.

#15: Greater Miami Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $11.74
2 children: $13.52
3+ children: $18.94

#14: Denver Metro Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $12.22
2 children: $13.89
3+ children: $16.71

#13: Las Vegas Metro Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $12.31
2 children: $14.26
3+ children: $15.17

#12: San Diego Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $12.81
2 children: $15.26
3+ children: $18.50

#11: Atlanta Metro Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $12.94
2 children: $15.12
3+ children: $15.91

#10: Greater Chicago Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $13.94
2 children: $15.79
3+ children: $17.39

#9: Portland Metro Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $14.46
2 children: $15.96
3+ children: $18.44

#8: Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $14.98
2 children: $15.09
3+ children: $19.00

#7: Washington DC - Baltimore Metro Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $15.51
2 children: $17.96
3+ children: $19.59

#6: Greater Los Angeles Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $15.62
2 children: $17.32
3+ children: $19.33

#5: Greater Boston Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $16.02
2 children: $18.75
3+ children: $20.98

#4: Seattle Metro Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $16.42
2 children: $17.68
3+ children: $19.94

#3: New York City Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $16.89
2 children: $19.66
3+ children: $21.47

#2: San Francisco Bay Area

Average booking rates:
1 child: $17.34
2 children: $19.79
3+ children: $22.21

#1: New York City Suburbs

Average booking rates:
1 child: $17.55
2 children: $19.09
3+ children: $20.00

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