The 10 Most Expensive Places to Raise a Family

What are the 10 most expensive places to raise a family in the U.S.? A recent study by Market Watch looked at 618 metro areas and calculated the cost of living in each based on the costs of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and other necessities (such as school supplies and clothing), as well as taxes. Surprisingly, Washinton DC is more expensive than New York! Child care is the single most expensive line item for families.  In 500 out of 618 areas, child care was the parents’ biggest annual expense. It averaged about $12,500 a year.

Here are the 10 cities where it is most expensive for two parents to raise two children:
1. Washington, D.C.  A family of four needs $106,493 just to get by in Washington! And child care is the highest in the country: $31,158 a year, on average.
2. Nassau-Suffolk, NY
3. Westchester County, NY
4. New York City, NY
5. Stamford-Norwalk, CT
6. Honolulu, HI
7. Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY
8. Ithaca, NY
9. San Francisco, CA
10. 10. Danbury, CT