What's cheaper, a daycare center or family daycare in Baltimore City?

Family-based (home) daycare is the cheaper option in Baltimore City. Infant family daycare runs $180/wk versus $250/wk for a center — about 28% less per week. Annualized, that's $3,642 in savings per year. Center-based care offers more structured curricula and staff redundancy; family daycare is run out of a provider's home with smaller group sizes and often more flexible hours.

How does Baltimore City compare to the rest of MD?

Baltimore City is one of the counties tracked in MD for the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices. See the full state ranking for direct comparison.

Childcare Cost in Baltimore City, MD, ChildcareCost

Q: Is daycare expensive in Baltimore City, MD?

Yes — infant center daycare in Baltimore City runs $250/wk, about 44% above the U.S. median of $174/wk. The Childcare Burden Index here is 22.3% of median household income, well above the 7% threshold the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services treats as affordable.

Childcare Cost in Baltimore City, MD

Infant center-based childcare in Baltimore City, MD costs $250 per week ($13,001 per year), based on DOL data. Family-based infant care is $180 per week ($9,359 per year). With a median household income of $58,349, the childcare burden index is 22.3% of income. The national median weekly infant center care cost is $174 for comparison.

Age Group	Center/Wk	Family/Wk
Infant (0-1)	$250	$180
Toddler (1-2)	$216	$156
Preschool (3-5)	$216	$156
School-Age (6+)	$189	$140

Age Group

Center/Wk

Family/Wk

Infant (0-1)

$250

$180

Toddler (1-2)

$216

$156

Preschool (3-5)

$216

$156

School-Age (6+)

$189

$140

Metric	Value
Median Household Income	$58,349
Burden Index	22.3% (Severe)
National Median (Infant Center)	$174/wk

Metric

Value

Median Household Income

$58,349

Burden Index

22.3% (Severe)

National Median (Infant Center)

$174/wk

How does Baltimore City compare?

At $250/wk for infant center care, Baltimore City runs 44% above the national median of $174/wk.

The Childcare Burden Index here is 22.3% of median household income — a severe burden, more than triple the 7% affordability threshold the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services uses.

For families looking to lower the bill, family-based (home) daycare in Baltimore City runs $180/wk for infants — about 28% less than center-based care, or $3,642 in annual savings. School-age care is the cheapest category at $189/wk (center) or $140/wk (family).

This answer pulls from the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices, the authoritative federal source for U.S. childcare prices. The headline number above is the direct answer; what follows is the additional context most readers need to use the answer for a real decision rather than just a fact lookup.

For readers turning this answer into action: cross-reference against the underlying the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices record before acting on time-sensitive decisions. The site renders the data as it was published; subsequent revisions can shift the picture, and the live federal data is always the authoritative current reference.

Childcare Cost in Baltimore City, MD

Cost by Care Type

Burden Index

How does Baltimore City compare?

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