StraksWhere our starting figure comes from
There's no official price for a child. Nibud, the national budget institute, gives a share of a household's spending money instead. For one child in an average household, its figures add up to about €80,000 over 18 years. That isn't built around full-time daycare, which for two working parents in Amsterdam is the largest cost of all.
So we added Amsterdam's daycare and after-school care, after childcare benefit for a middle income, to Nibud's figures for everything else. Over 18 years that comes to about €11,000 a year. It's the figure the calculator starts with for each child; you can change it.
Daycare, the biggest cost
Childcare benefit (kinderopvangtoeslag) pays back part of the cost, as long as both parents work. In 2026 it counts at most €11.23 an hour for daycare and €9.98 for after-school care, and pays back between 96% and 36.5% of that, depending on your joint income.
Amsterdam's daycare costs more than that maximum: published 2026 rates run from about €12.60 to €13.20 an hour. Whatever you pay above €11.23 you never get back, whatever your income. That's why 8 in 10 Amsterdam parents with childcare benefit pay more than the maximum, against about 6 in 10 across the country.
How the cost changes as they grow
A flat €11,000 is an average. The real cost comes in a different shape:
| Age | Daycare and after-school care | Everything else | A year, about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 4 | €15,000 | €4,000 | €19,000 |
| 4 to 12 | €3,500 | €5,000 | €8,500 |
| 12 to 18 | none | €6,500 | €6,500 |
These are our estimates for a middle income, from the published rates and Nibud's figures. The early years cost most, while you're also likely saving for your retirement, and the teenage years cost less than the average.
How the calculator counts a child
Each child you add under Kids costs €11,000 a year, in today's euros, from the year they're born until they turn 18, on top of your spending now. It's the same every year, so in the daycare years the real cost is likely higher than the calculator shows, and in the teenage years lower.
Childcare benefit depends on your income, so it goes up if you stop working, or work less, while your children are young. The calculator doesn't count that.
Questions people ask
Is a second child cheaper?
Yes, per child. Nibud puts the cost of one child at 15% of a couple's spending money, and two at 25%, because children share rooms, clothes and toys. Childcare benefit also pays back a larger share for a second child.
Does the €11,000 include childcare benefit?
Yes. It's what parents with a middle income pay after childcare benefit. With a lower income you get more back; with a higher income, less.
Why does it stop at 18?
That's when most of the costs Nibud counts end, and when the calculator stops counting them. If you expect to pay for studies after that, add it as a one-off expense.
What if your child is already born?
Keep what they cost in your spending now, and don't add them under Kids. The calculator adds a child under Kids on top of your spending, from the year they're born.
Sources
- Nibud, "Wat kost een kind?"
- Rijksoverheid, "Bedragen kinderopvangtoeslag 2026"
- Belastingdienst, Dienst Toeslagen, "Maximaal uurtarief voor de kinderopvang"
- Published 2026 rates of Amsterdam daycare and after-school providers
This guide explains the general rules. It isn't personal financial advice.