UK CHILDCARE · REAL FEES

The second mortgage
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Real UK nursery and childcare fees, shared anonymously. Full-time, part-time, childminders and nannies. See what parents actually pay, before you sign up.

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NURSERYUK · 2022

Full-time nanny, 9am-6pm 5 days£675

Per week, 9am to 6pm five days a week at £15 an hour net. Parent-reported on Mumsnet, exact region not stated.

TOTAL PAID£675

“9am-6pm, five days a week would be £675 a week” · a real bill, shared publicly · source

More than a mortgage

For many families a full-time nursery place costs more than their mortgage or rent. source

Funded hours fall short

Government funded hours only cover part of a full-time place, so most parents still pay a large top-up. source

London costs double

Childcare in London and the South East costs far more than most of the country for the same hours. source

What Britain actually pays

Every number below is a real price: a published price, or a bill someone actually paid. Click through for the full spread.

Procedure	Prices	List	Paid	Delta
After-school club	10	£18£8–£27	£14£11–£15	−£4
Baby room (full-time)	9	£1,355£620–£2,833	£800£800–£800	−£555
Childminder	11	£7£5–£7	£5£4–£6	−£2
Holiday club	8	£38£33–£40	£32£30–£50	−£6
Nanny	10	£745£325–£1,054	£675£675–£675	−£70
Nursery (full-time)	14	£1,516£586–£2,833	£1,468£736–£2,200	−£48
Nursery (part-time)	14	£1,087£725–£1,932	£401£226–£1,000	−£687

Two bars per type of care: the pale bar is the advertised list price spread, purple is what people actually paid, on one shared scale (£4 to £2,833, logarithmic). Delta is the gap between the two medians. Hover for the numbers.

Prefer it explained? Read our free childcare cost guides →

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