How much does childcare cost in the UK in 2026?

Without support, a full-time nursery place for a baby or toddler commonly sits around £200-350 per week across much of England, with popular cities toward the top of that band. Inner London often needs £280-400 or more for comparable hours; Outer London usually sits between national and Inner London levels. Childminders can be cheaper in some boroughs but still follow local demand.

Part-time weeks of about 25 hours often land near £100-200 before entitlements. Providers may still bill meals, nappies, trips, consumables, and any hours above the funded entitlement. Ask whether fees are quoted for 38 term-time weeks or stretched across more weeks with a higher weekly rate.

London families should treat childcare as a core housing decision, not a side note, when reading London cost of living. Shortlists in Best places for families matter only after you price real nursery quotes for your child's age.

England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland do not share one scheme. In England, all three- and four-year-olds get 15 hours a week for 38 weeks, and eligible working parents can get up to 30 hours from the term after a child turns nine months, subject to work and income rules including a high adjusted-net-income cap. Codes come through GOV.UK, and nurseries must still be able to offer the place.

Scotland funds up to 1,140 hours a year of early learning and childcare for three- and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds through local councils. Wales combines early education with the Childcare Offer for eligible working parents of three- and four-year-olds, often across more weeks than England's term-time model. Northern Ireland's main funded offer is pre-school education in the year before primary school, with separate subsidy routes for other childcare costs.

Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit childcare help can stack with free hours for eligible parents, but they do not erase London top-ups or holiday gaps. School-age wraparound care, holiday clubs, and after-school provision need their own quotes once nursery ends. Families comparing fee-paying schools later should keep International school costs separate from early-years nursery maths.