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Open calculator: Worth workingDaycare costs by state
Daycare costs in Iowa. About $881/month for infant center care, CPI adjusted to August 2026.
A starting point across the state. Explore your county for the more local picture.
Infant care in a center
$881/ month
County sources 2022 · CPI adjusted to August 2026
- Weekly
- $203
- Monthly
- $881
- Annual
- $10,570
A planning estimate for one child. Current tuition and included services vary by provider.
14.1%of median household income
Annual care ÷ $75,059 income. 2020–2024 ACS 5-year.
Prices by age & setting
| Age group | Center | Home-based |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | $8812022 source | $5922022 source |
| Toddler | $7592022 source | $5822022 source |
| Preschool | $7592022 source | $5822022 source |
| School-age | $6072022 source | $5632022 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
Explore your county.
Each local page shows available age groups, source years, income context and nearby counties.
| County | Center | Home-based | Source year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County | $893 | $602 | 2022 |
| Mahaska County | $832 | $562 | 2022 |
| Marion County | $859 | $580 | 2022 |
| Marshall County | $854 | $576 | 2022 |
| Mills County | $862 | $581 | 2022 |
| Mitchell County | $816 | $551 | 2022 |
| Monona County | $854 | $561 | 2022 |
| Monroe County | $821 | $554 | 2022 |
| Montgomery County | $813 | $549 | 2022 |
| Muscatine County | $885 | $597 | 2022 |
| O'Brien County | $806 | $544 | 2022 |
| Osceola County | $842 | $568 | 2022 |
| Page County | $820 | $553 | 2022 |
| Palo Alto County | $788 | $532 | 2022 |
| Plymouth County | $852 | $575 | 2022 |
| Pocahontas County | $846 | $556 | 2022 |
| Polk County | $939 | $631 | 2022 |
| Pottawattamie County | $892 | $602 | 2022 |
| Poweshiek County | $855 | $577 | 2022 |
| Ringgold County | $837 | $550 | 2022 |
| Sac County | $812 | $533 | 2022 |
| Scott County | $891 | $599 | 2022 |
| Shelby County | $868 | $586 | 2022 |
| Sioux County | $846 | $571 | 2022 |
| Story County | $902 | $609 | 2022 |
| Tama County | $878 | $577 | 2022 |
| Taylor County | $815 | $536 | 2022 |
| Union County | $809 | $546 | 2022 |
| Van Buren County | $820 | $539 | 2022 |
| Wapello County | $872 | $588 | 2022 |
| Warren County | $897 | $605 | 2022 |
| Washington County | $859 | $580 | 2022 |
| Wayne County | $809 | $531 | 2022 |
| Webster County | $824 | $556 | 2022 |
| Winnebago County | $798 | $539 | 2022 |
| Winneshiek County | $830 | $560 | 2022 |
| Woodbury County | $878 | $593 | 2022 |
| Worth County | $833 | $547 | 2022 |
| Wright County | $816 | $551 | 2022 |
City pages in Iowa
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Daycare vs. nanny
Compare center, home-based care, a nanny and a nanny share—including employer taxes.
Open calculator: Daycare vs. nannyDependent care FSA vs. tax credit
Compare federal tax benefits with the rules for 2025 and 2026.
Open calculator: FSA vs. tax creditChildcare subsidy income check
Compare your income with published state limits and find the application.
Open calculator: Subsidy income checkHelp paying for care
Check the assistance
available in Iowa.
The January 2025 federal table lists $4,160 per month as the initial income threshold for a family of four.
Current limits and other eligibility rules may differ.
See limits & applicationQuestions about care
in Iowa.
How much does daycare cost per month in Iowa?
The infant center estimate is $881 per month. The underlying source is dated 2022 and is adjusted to August 2026 with the childcare CPI. Individual provider quotes vary.
How much is home-based childcare?
The infant home-based estimate is $592 per month, from a 2022 source adjusted to August 2026.
Does the estimate include deposits and extra fees?
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.
What does the share of income mean?
Annual center care divided by $75,059 median household income gives 14.1%. Income comes from 2020–2024 ACS 5-year. The periods differ, so this is an illustrative comparison, not a current household survey.
Can I get help paying for daycare in Iowa?
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.
Sources behind this page.
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.