How much is childcare? Average costs by type

Nursery / day nursery

£156 to £238 a week

25 hours for an under-2, before free hours, from the cheapest English region to the dearest. Open all year, staffed by qualified practitioners, and where most families use their free hours.

Under-2s cost more because a nursery needs one adult for every three children under 2.

Childminder

£123 to £226 a week

25 hours for an under-2. Home-based care from a registered childminder, usually in a small mixed-age group. Often more flexible on hours than a nursery, and can take funded hours.

Nationally, a full-time nursery place for an under-2 costs about 22% more than a childminder.

Nanny

£16.52 to £22.64 an hour gross

One-to-one care in your home. You become the employer, so you also pay employer's National Insurance and a workplace pension on top.

Nannies can't take the free hours, but you can pay a registered nanny through Tax-Free Childcare.

After-school club

£55 to £84 a week

Care from the end of the school day to about 6pm, usually at the school. A childminder doing the same pick-up usually costs more.

Term time only.

Holiday club

£160 to £227 a week

Full-day care in the school holidays, often with activities and trips. Families on benefits may get free places through the Holiday Activities and Food programme.

Six weeks of summer holiday club averages £1,145 across Great Britain.

Au pair

A young person who lives with your family and helps with the children. GOV.UK says au pairs are entitled to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage (£12.71 an hour from age 21), and that accommodation you provide is taken into account when working out whether you pay it. An au pair isn't a qualified childcarer.

We don't quote an au pair price: there's no current official or survey figure.