Nursery Cost Comparison Calculator

Comparing nursery costs is harder than it should be. One provider charges hourly, another by the day, a third has a fixed monthly fee — and some don't accept Tax-Free Childcare, which can completely change which option is actually cheaper. This nursery cost comparison calculator does the maths for you, so you can see the true monthly cost of each provider side by side.

Enter the fees for each provider using whichever charging structure they use — hourly, daily, weekly or monthly. The calculator assumes 21 working days per month and 4.3 weeks per month. If your nursery charges additional fees (meals, nappies, activities), add these in too so you're comparing like for like.

Any hours you mark as "free" will be treated as no charge. If you're eligible for 15 or 30 funded hours, the calculator assumes these are stretched across 50 weeks to give you a stable monthly figure. Not sure what funded hours you're entitled to? Read our guide.

If one provider doesn't accept Tax-Free Childcare, make sure you account for that too — it can make a surprisingly large difference to your overall bill. Find out more about Tax-Free Childcare.