How Much Does It Cost To Raise A Child In Singapore Till Age 18?

By now, most parents should already know that raising a child in Singapore can be expensive. From delivery and infant care to school, enrichment classes and everyday expenses, the costs add up over close to two decades.

At the same time, government support for parents is also becoming substantially more generous.

At National Day Rally 2026, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a new SG Child Support Package, which will provide the same level of support to every Singapore Citizen child regardless of birth order. Together with existing MediSave and Edusave support, each Singapore Citizen child will receive around $70,000 in direct financial support from birth to age 17.

This direct subsidy sits on top of other indirect financial support such as what the government also spends on compulsory education for children and childcare subsidies.

That said, how much we spend will also differ significantly depending on our lifestyle. Annual holidays, private preschool, frequent enrichment classes and private tuition can easily push the cost of raising a child much higher.

For this article, we focus on essential expenses that are relatively common or difficult to avoid, while using conservative assumptions.

Stage 0: Pregnancy And Delivery

Even before our child is born, there are pregnancy-related expenses to consider, including prenatal consultations, scans, supplements and delivery costs.

The eventual hospital bill depends heavily on whether we choose subsidised or unsubsidised care, a public or private hospital, and whether the delivery is vaginal or by Caesarean section.

According to the latest Ministry of Health bill data, a typical uncomplicated vaginal delivery costs around $1,486 at a subsidised KKH B2 ward, compared to $5,780 at a KKH Class A ward and $10,287 for a one-bedded ward at Mount Alvernia Hospital. These figures are before MediSave and insurance payouts.

For an uncomplicated Caesarean section, bills are considerably higher. A typical private-hospital inpatient bill is around $15,805, while Mount Alvernia’s typical one-bedded bill is about $15,567.

Taking prenatal expenses and different delivery choices into account, it would still be reasonable to budget around $5,500 to $20,000, although individual bills can fall outside this range.

Estimated Cost: $5,500 to $20,000

Government Support From Birth Is Changing From 2027

Parents currently continue to receive benefits under the existing Baby Bonus Scheme. However, this will be replaced by the new SG Child Support Package, with payouts starting from April 2027. Children already enrolled under the Baby Bonus Scheme will be automatically transitioned.

Under the new package, an eligible Singapore Citizen child can receive up to $62,000, comprising:

The $10,000 Baby Gift will apply to Singapore Citizen children born on or after 1 April 2027 and will be paid in two tranches during their first year.

More significantly for longer-term family expenses, children will receive $2,000 of Child Credits each year from the year they turn one until the year they turn 16, amounting to $32,000.

The package will also be extended to eligible existing Singapore Citizen children aged 17 and below. For example, children turning one to 16 in 2026 will receive their 2026 Child Credits by 30 April 2027.

On top of the $62,000 package, each eligible Singapore Citizen child will continue to receive the $5,000 MediSave Grant for Newborns and annual Edusave contributions during primary and secondary school. Taken together, government support amounts to around $70,000 per child from birth to age 17.

Read Also: Complete Guide to Baby Grants in Singapore – Baby Bonus; CDA; MediSave & Tax Relief

Stage 1: Baby To Toddler (Year 0 To 4)

Once the baby arrives, budgeting becomes more complicated.

Consumables: Parents will regularly spend on diapers, formula milk, baby wipes, food, cleaning products and other necessities. Depending on brands and consumption, spending several thousand dollars a year on these items is not unusual.

A reasonable estimate for consumables and other everyday expenses is around $3,000 to $8,000 a year, particularly during the first few years.

Non-Consumables: Parents also need items such as a stroller, baby carrier, cot, car seat, clothes, bottles and toys. The cost can vary enormously depending on whether we buy premium products, choose more affordable brands or receive hand-me-downs from friends and relatives. Budgeting around $4,000 for these initial purchases and related items remains a reasonable benchmark.

Taken together, we can conservatively allocate around $7,500 a year towards our child’s food, clothes, diapers, toys and other everyday needs during these early years.

Read Also: How Much Does It Cost To Raise Your Newborn Baby In The First Year

Childcare Expenses

For working parents, childcare is often the biggest recurring expense in the early years.

Importantly, infant care and childcare are not the same thing.

Infant care generally covers children from two to 18 months old. From around 18 months until below seven years old, children can instead attend childcare, which is considerably cheaper.

As of 2026, the monthly fee caps at Anchor Operator preschools, before GST, are:

These figures are expected to be lower in the future based on the announcement made during the National Day Rally. These headline fees also do not reflect what many Singaporean parents actually pay after subsidies, which will be lower. You can read our article here for the full updates on childcare operator fees in Singapore.

Families with gross monthly household income of $12,000 and below may also qualify for an Additional Subsidy, with lower-income households receiving more support.

This means a family using an Anchor Operator preschool could pay substantially less than the published fee cap.

Using only the Basic Subsidy and assuming the child moves from infant care into childcare at 18 months, we estimate that preschool care during the first four years could cost roughly $23,000, rather than assuming four entire years of infant-care fees.

Adding about $30,000 for food, diapers, clothes, toys and other everyday expenses over four years gives us a rough total of about $53,000.

Estimated Cost (Year 0 to Year 4): About $53,000, or roughly $13,250 a year

The Singapore Government Is Reviewing How It Can Support The Cost Of Raising Children

National Day Rally 2026 also brought a major change to preschool affordability.

The Government announced that fees at government-supported preschools will progressively fall to $150 a month for full-day childcare and $300 a month for full-day infant care, before means-tested subsidies.

The reductions will begin progressively from 2028, with the target fee levels expected to be reached by 2030. Lower-income families will continue to pay less after means-testing.

The Government also intends to extend full childcare and infant-care subsidies to families with Singapore Citizen children, regardless of the main subsidy applicant’s employment status. More implementation details are expected in early 2027.

This is particularly significant because preschool care has traditionally been one of the highest recurring costs during the first few years of parenthood.

Stage 2: Kindergarten (Year 5 To Year 6)

While compulsory education only begins at Primary 1, most children attend preschool before entering primary school.

For Singapore Citizen children attending an MOE Kindergarten, the monthly fee in 2026 is $160, payable across all 12 months.

Parents who require full-day care can also enrol their child in Kindergarten Care, or KCare. Singapore Citizen children receive a $150 monthly Basic Subsidy for KCare, while eligible lower-income families can receive further assistance.

Beyond school and care fees, many parents also enrol their children in activities such as swimming, music, art, sports or language lessons. Assuming we spend around $400 a month on enrichment activities, that works out to $4,800 a year. We can also budget another $300 a month, or $3,600 a year, for food, clothes, books, toys and other expenses.

Once kindergarten and, where necessary, KCare expenses are included, a working family could reasonably spend around $12,000 to $14,000 a year during these two years, before any additional means-tested subsidies.

Estimated Cost (Year 5 to Year 6): About $13,000 a year, or $26,000 over two years

Stage 3: Primary School, Secondary School And Junior College (Year 7 To 18)

Once our child enters primary school, formal school fees become much less significant for Singapore Citizens. Primary school tuition fees are $0 for Singapore Citizens, while school fees are $5 a month in secondary school and $6 a month at the pre-university level.

However, school fees are only a small component of what parents actually spend. Growing children still need food, clothes, transport, electronic devices and other everyday necessities. Budgeting at least $400 a month for these expenses remains reasonable.

We are also likely to give them an allowance. At $25 a week, this would add roughly another $100 a month. Tuition and enrichment can become another substantial expense. Assuming group lessons and a budget of around $250 a month, total monthly spending could easily reach around $750. Adding about $500 a year for uniforms, books, bags, stationery, and other school items brings our estimate to around $9,500 a year.

Of course, families that spend heavily on private tuition, enrichment classes or competitive sports can pay considerably more.

Estimated Cost (Year 7 to Year 18): About $9,500 a year, or $114,000

Total Cost Of Raising A Child In Singapore Till Age 18

Based on the assumptions above:

This estimate already assumes that eligible working parents receive today’s Basic Subsidies for infant care and childcare.

It does not, however, include many expenses that families commonly incur.

For example, we could reasonably spend another $1,000 a year on insurance premiums, $1,000 per child for a modest overseas holiday, $500 on leisure activities and another $500 on birthdays, celebrations and presents.

That is another $3,000 a year, or about $36,000 over 18 years.

Read Also: Cost Guide: Singapore Universities’ Tuition Fee Comparison

$241,000 to raise one child in Singapore till age 18

Adding these expenses brings our estimate to around $241,000. This remains a conservative figure.

Private preschool, expensive tuition and enrichment programmes, frequent overseas travel, higher medical expenses and hiring a domestic helper can all push the actual figure significantly higher.

We have also not included tertiary education. Polytechnic, ITE and university expenses come after the period covered by our calculation and could add substantially to the overall amount parents ultimately spend.

Government Support Will Offset A Part Of The Cost

The important difference for parents planning for a child today is that government support is increasingly spread throughout the child’s growing-up years rather than being concentrated mainly around birth.

Under the SG Child Support Package announced at the National Day Rally 2026, every eligible Singapore Citizen child will receive up to $62,000 through the Baby Gift, Child Credits, CDA grants and PSEA top-up.

Together with the MediSave Grant for Newborns and Edusave contributions, this totals around $70,000 in direct government support from birth to age 17.

At the same time, full-day childcare and infant-care fees at government-supported preschools are targeted to fall to $150 and $300 a month respectively by 2030.

Parents should not simply take our $241,000 estimate and subtract $70,000. Some of the support is earmarked for healthcare, preschool or education, while our calculation is really a conservative estimate.

Nevertheless, the direction is clear: raising a child in Singapore still requires substantial financial planning, but the amount families ultimately have to fund from their own disposable income should fall as the new measures are progressively implemented.

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