Here's What It Will Cost to Raise a 2026 Baby

That bundle of joy is also a $300,000 line item, according to a new LendingTree analysis. It estimates that a middle-income couple with around $100,000 in income will shell out $303,418 to raise a child born in 2026 through age 18—averaging about $16,857 a year, per CBS News. LendingTree, which began its annual analysis in 2023, says this is the first time the figure has crossed the $300,000 mark. The total is up roughly 2% from last year, coming close to the median US home price of $356,000, and it doesn't include college. Add a four-year degree at today's average of $38,000 annually and parents could be looking at more than $450,000 in total costs, according to the analysis, which factors in tax breaks.

Location heavily shapes the hit. Alaska, Kansas, and Montana saw costs jump more than 20% in a year, though Hawaii remains the most expensive state to have a child, with costs estimated at $412,661. Some relief is emerging: infant child care is projected to cost $17,264 in 2026, for roughly $572 in savings from last year, and average yearly costs for raising children ages 5 and under are down 0.3% to $29,325. Still, with median household income at $83,730 in 2024, LendingTree's Matt Schulz says the rising cost of parenting is putting "tremendous strain" on budgets and contributing to falling birth rates. "Many Americans are saying that having kids doesn't make financial sense," he told Fortune in February, calling on leaders to push for change amid a wider affordability crisis.