Is it worth going back to work?
See what a second income leaves after taxes, childcare and commuting.
Open calculator: Worth workingDaycare costs by state
A starting point across the state. Explore your county for the more local picture.
Infant care in a center
$205/ week
County sources 2022 · CPI adjusted to August 2026
A planning estimate for one child. Current tuition and included services vary by provider.
Annual care ÷ $77,353 income. 2020–2024 ACS 5-year.
| Age group | Center | Home-based |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $2052022 source | $1732022 source |
| Toddler | $1892022 source | $1582022 source |
| Preschool | $1812022 source | $1592022 source |
| School-age | $892022 source | $802022 source |
One child. Weekly × 52 ÷ 12 for monthly; weekly × 52 for annual. School-age coverage varies and often means care around school hours. Age definitions.
Population-weighted mean of available county medians. Each county is adjusted before averaging. Coverage varies by age and setting; this is not an official statewide median.
Get closer to home
Each local page shows available age groups, source years, income context and nearby counties.
| County | Center | Home-based | Source year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appling County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Atkinson County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Bacon County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Baker County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Baldwin County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Banks County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Barrow County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Bartow County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Ben Hill County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Berrien County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Bibb County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Bleckley County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Brantley County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Brooks County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Bryan County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Bulloch County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Burke County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Butts County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Calhoun County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Camden County | $1,086 | $863 | 2022 |
| Candler County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Carroll County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Catoosa County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Charlton County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Chatham County | $543 | $530 | 2022 |
| Chattahoochee County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Chattooga County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Cherokee County | $1,086 | $863 | 2022 |
| Clarke County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Clay County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Clayton County | $1,086 | $863 | 2022 |
| Clinch County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Cobb County | $1,086 | $863 | 2022 |
| Coffee County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Colquitt County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Columbia County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Cook County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Coweta County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Crawford County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Crisp County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Dade County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Dawson County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Decatur County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| DeKalb County | $1,086 | $863 | 2022 |
| Dodge County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Dooly County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Dougherty County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Douglas County | $1,086 | $863 | 2022 |
| Early County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Echols County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Effingham County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Elbert County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Emanuel County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Evans County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Fannin County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Fayette County | $1,086 | $863 | 2022 |
| Floyd County | $757 | $689 | 2022 |
| Forsyth County | $1,086 | $863 | 2022 |
| Franklin County | $575 | $546 | 2022 |
| Fulton County | $1,086 | $863 | 2022 |
Make it your budget
Use a calculator to compare costs with your own income and provider quotes.
See what a second income leaves after taxes, childcare and commuting.
Open calculator: Worth workingCompare center, home-based care, a nanny and a nanny share—including employer taxes.
Open calculator: Daycare vs. nannyCompare federal tax benefits with the rules for 2025 and 2026.
Open calculator: FSA vs. tax creditCompare your income with published state limits and find the application.
Open calculator: Subsidy income checkHelp paying for care
The January 2025 federal table lists $3,968 per month as the initial income threshold for a family of four.
Current limits and other eligibility rules may differ.
See limits & applicationThe infant center estimate is $886 per month. The underlying source is dated 2022 and is adjusted to August 2026 with the childcare CPI. Individual provider quotes vary.
The infant home-based estimate is $748 per month, from a 2022 source adjusted to August 2026.
The county figure is a tuition benchmark. Deposits, registration, supplies, meals, late pickup and paid closures may be billed separately. Ask for a written payment schedule.
Annual center care divided by $77,353 median household income gives 13.8%. Income comes from 2020–2024 ACS 5-year. The periods differ, so this is an illustrative comparison, not a current household survey.
The state assistance page links to the current program. Income is only one part of eligibility; work or education, your child’s age, assets and available funding can also matter.
Retrieved 2026-10-01. The displayed figures are rounded; calculations use unrounded values.
| Age / setting | Source | Original weekly | CPI factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant / center | County sources 2022–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Infant / home | County sources 2022–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Toddler / center | County sources 2022–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Toddler / home | County sources 2022–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Preschool / center | County sources 2022–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| Preschool / home | County sources 2022–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| School-age / center | County sources 2022–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
| School-age / home | County sources 2022–2022 DOL NDCP | County aggregation | Adjusted per county |
CPI: BLS CUUR0000SEEB03, August 2026 index 403.749, divided by the source-year annual index. NDCP values may be age-derived, converted, clustered or imputed. Read the method and limitations.
Income: 2020–2024 ACS 5-year, median household B19013 and median family B19113. Income is not CPI adjusted.
Subsidy: ACF January 2025 initial income table; confirm current rules through the state application.