from World of TardyChildcare costs by region
Childcare costs by region, UK
Average weekly prices before any free hours, by English region and for Scotland and Wales, from the Coram Childcare Survey 2026. Inner London is the most expensive region for a nursery place; Yorkshire and the Humber is the cheapest.
Goodnight Giraffe explains
From up here you can see it: the same hours cost very different amounts from place to place.
| Region | Nursery, under 2 | Childminder, under 2 | Nursery, age 2 | Nursery, 3 to 4 (paid hours) | After-school club | Holiday club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | £238.01 | £226.39 | £222.18 | £86.54 (10 hrs) | £68.07 | £217.74 |
| Outer London | £216.94 | £199.09 | £213.99 | £82.67 (10 hrs) | £72.66 | £190.43 |
| South East | £201.91 | £148.98 | £184.60 | £71.97 (10 hrs) | £83.93 | £226.55 |
| East of England | £191.75 | £156.01 | £175.67 | £67.33 (10 hrs) | £74.12 | £190.66 |
| South West | £180.64 | £174.87 | £164.83 | £61.45 (10 hrs) | £64.85 | £180.30 |
| West Midlands | £174.83 | £143.41 | £171.26 | £66.45 (10 hrs) | £75.11 | £167.85 |
| East Midlands | £165.32 | £139.20 | £159.02 | £62.07 (10 hrs) | £71.09 | £188.18 |
| North West | £178.01 | £137.42 | £158.01 | £61.70 (10 hrs) | £54.57 | £160.14 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £156.15 | £125.47 | £153.78 | £58.69 (10 hrs) | £60.19 | £189.22 |
| North East | £166.30 | £122.65 | £159.10 | £58.38 (10 hrs) | £69.66 | £219.76 |
| Scotland | £133.08 | £145.65 | £133.30 | £112.33 (20 hrs) | £71.08 | £179.95 |
| Wales | £163.33 | £136.96 | £166.01 | £99.05 (15 hrs) | £74.31 | £223.59 |
| England average | £188.75 | £155.28 | £174.85 | £67.20 (10 hrs) | £69.38 | £189.71 |
Weekly prices. Nursery and childminder: 25 hours a week for families not eligible for funded hours. 3 and 4 year olds: what parents pay for the hours above the free entitlement. After-school: a week of term time. Holiday club: a week in the holidays. Northern Ireland isn't covered by Coram's surveys. Your highlighted region comes from the main calculator.
What stands out
- A part-time nursery place for an under-2 costs £238.01 a week in Inner London, against £156.15 in Yorkshire and the Humber.
- After-school clubs are dearest in South East (£83.93) and cheapest in North West (£54.57). London is cheaper than you'd expect, because some councils run or subsidise their clubs.
- Scotland and Wales don't fund under-2s, so their part-time price is what parents pay. In England, eligible working parents pay nothing for 25 hours in term time.
Prices vary as much between providers on the same street as between regions. Use the childcare calculator with your provider's own price for a firm figure.
Sources
- Coram Family and Childcare: Childcare Survey 2026 (March 2026)
- Coram Family and Childcare: Childcare Survey 2026, full report (PDF)
- Coram Family and Childcare: Holiday Childcare Survey 2026 (July 2026)
- NISRA / Department of Education (NI): Childcare in Northern Ireland 2024 survey
Checked . Every figure on this page comes from these sources.
This site gives estimates. For a final answer on what you can get, use the GOV.UK childcare calculator.