Contra Costa County, CA vs Santa Cruz County, CA
Side-by-side childcare cost comparison. Infant center care costs $482/wk in Contra Costa County and $477/wk in Santa Cruz County.
| Metric | Contra Costa County, CA | Santa Cruz County, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Infant Center (wk) | $482 | $477 |
| Infant Family (wk) | $319 | $408 |
| Toddler Center (wk) | $346 | $326 |
| Toddler Family (wk) | $288 | $335 |
| Preschool Center (wk) | $381 | $256 |
| Preschool Family (wk) | $320 | $314 |
| School-Age Center (wk) | $429 | $142 |
| School-Age Family (wk) | $264 | $227 |
| Median Income | $120,020 | $104,409 |
| Burden Index | 20.9% | 23.8% |
Annual Cost Comparison (Infant Center)
Contra Costa County
$25,052/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.