How much does childcare cost in the Czech Republic in 2026?

From about age three, children can attend mateřská škola (commonly called školka). District-run fees for preschool education are capped nationally at 8% of the monthly minimum wage, which keeps many Prague and regional rates in a low four-digit CZK band per month. Meals are billed separately, often as a modest daily add-on. The compulsory final preschool year after the child’s fifth birthday drops the tuition fee, though meals remain.

Places favour children with a registered address in the catchment. Foreign residents are eligible on the same terms, but Czech is the classroom language. Register the address early if you want the cheap path: Register address and Living in Prague.

Public jesle (nursery) places for children under three are scarce. Many families use dětská skupina (children’s group) or private nurseries instead, where monthly fees jump into thousands of CZK and can climb higher for full-week English programmes. Private English kindergartens serving preschool ages often cost several thousand to tens of thousands of CZK per month, which can rival or exceed rent for a second income earner’s decision: Prague cost of living and Monthly budget.

Brno follows the same public-fee logic with slightly softer rent pressure around family flats: Brno cost of living and Living in Brno. Once primary years begin, English continuity usually means international school tuition, not školka maths: International school costs.