Santa Barbara County, CA vs Howard County, MD
Side-by-side childcare cost comparison. Infant center care costs $453/wk in Santa Barbara County and $414/wk in Howard County.
| Metric | Santa Barbara County, CA | Howard County, MD |
|---|---|---|
| Infant Center (wk) | $453 | $414 |
| Infant Family (wk) | $363 | $288 |
| Toddler Center (wk) | $309 | $336 |
| Toddler Family (wk) | $305 | $271 |
| Preschool Center (wk) | $242 | $336 |
| Preschool Family (wk) | $286 | $271 |
| School-Age Center (wk) | $115 | $303 |
| School-Age Family (wk) | $207 | $252 |
| Median Income | $92,332 | $140,971 |
| Burden Index | 25.5% | 15.3% |
Annual Cost Comparison (Infant Center)
Santa Barbara County
$23,532/yr
Howard County
$21,533/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.