Arlington County, VA vs Santa Cruz County, CA
Side-by-side childcare cost comparison. Infant center care costs $559/wk in Arlington County and $477/wk in Santa Cruz County.
| Metric | Arlington County, VA | Santa Cruz County, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Infant Center (wk) | $559 | $477 |
| Infant Family (wk) | $385 | $408 |
| Toddler Center (wk) | $496 | $326 |
| Toddler Family (wk) | $342 | $335 |
| Preschool Center (wk) | $496 | $256 |
| Preschool Family (wk) | $342 | $314 |
| School-Age Center (wk) | $416 | $142 |
| School-Age Family (wk) | $318 | $227 |
| Median Income | $137,387 | $104,409 |
| Burden Index | 21.2% | 23.8% |
Annual Cost Comparison (Infant Center)
Arlington County
$29,086/yr
Santa Cruz County
$24,798/yr
Last updated:
The side-by-side above pulls the the DOL National Database of Childcare Prices data for both entity A and entity B. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for entity A versus entity B, and which differences are large enough to influence a real decision.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual entity A and entity B detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau Childcare Prices, 2026.