Daycare cost · Arizona
How much does daycare cost in Arizona?
Full-time infant care at an Arizona daycare center cost a median of $215 a week in the latest federal county survey. Too few Arizona daycares post an infant rate to show one, but the 38 that post a toddler rate charge a median of $262 a week.
- a week, center infant care, county survey
- $215
- a week, center preschool, county survey
- $162
- a week, preschool rate posted by daycares
- $205
- Counties priced
- 15
By age
Daycare prices by age in Arizona
Weekly prices for full-time care. The county survey figures are the middle county in Arizona; the posted figures are the middle rate on Arizona daycare websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $215 | $175 | Too few to show |
| Toddler | $162 | $175 | $262Middle half $220 to $299 · 38 daycares |
| Preschool | $162 | $175 | $205Middle half $150 to $259 · 62 daycares |
| School ageOften before and after school only | $165 | $162 | Too few to show |
County survey: U.S. Department of Labor, 2022; Arizona figure = the median of 15 county medians. Posted: one full-time rate per daycare, read in 2026, from 78 Arizona daycare websites (98.7% of them centers); half-day, part-week and school-year rates left out; shown only where at least 30 daycares post a rate for that age.
Reading the numbers
Why the two figures differ
The 2022 figure and the 2026 rate come from different places. The 2022 figure is the U.S. Department of Labor's price for the middle Arizona county, built from state surveys of what providers charge. Arizona has only 15 counties, and each one counts the same, so La Paz County weighs as much as Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix. The 2026 rate is the middle price among Arizona daycares that publish a full-time rate online, and almost all of them are centers (98.7% of the 78 that post one).
Four years of price rises sit between the two figures as well. Posted toddler rates run about $100 a week above the 2022 county price, and posted preschool rates about $43 a week above it. Use the 2022 figures to compare counties, and the posted rates as a guide to what a center with a website asks today.
By county
Where daycare costs more in Arizona
Lowest county price
$188a week for center infant care in La Paz County and 2 other countiesHighest county price
$270a week for center infant care in Maricopa CountyMaricopa County
$270a week for center infant care; the most populous county in ArizonaPima County
$250a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousPinal County
$209a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousIn 2022, center infant care in Arizona ran from $188 a week in La Paz County to $270 a week in Maricopa County. Mohave and Yuma counties shared the lowest price with La Paz. Of the three most populous counties, Maricopa, which includes Phoenix, was the highest, Pima, which includes Tucson, came next at $250 a week, and Pinal was $209.
Home daycares charged less for babies: the middle Arizona county asked $175 a week for infant care in a home daycare, against $215 at a center. For preschoolers it ran the other way, with homes at $175 a week and centers at $162. In Pinal County, home and center infant care cost about the same.
- A year of center infant care at the middle county price
- $11,180
- of the middle county household income ($58,421)
- 19%
- counties where it passed 20% of household income
- 5 of 15
Every county
Daycare prices in every Arizona county
Weekly county survey prices for full-time care, A to Z. Select a column heading to sort by it. The towns are where most of each county's daycares on DaycarePal are.
| Towns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache | $225 | $175 | $175 | Chinle |
| Cochise | $215 | $155 | $175 | Sierra VistaDouglasBisbee |
| Coconino | $225 | $175 | $175 | FlagstaffPage |
| Gila | $209 | $162 | $210 | Payson |
| Graham | $215 | $155 | $175 | WillcoxSafford |
| Greenlee | $215 | $155 | $175 | None listed |
| La Paz | $188 | $155 | $175 | None listed |
| Maricopa | $270 | $210 | $180 | PhoenixMesaGlendale |
| Mohave | $188 | $155 | $175 | KingmanLake Havasu CityBullhead City |
| Navajo | $225 | $175 | $175 | Show LowWinslowHolbrook |
| Pima | $250 | $182 | $175 | TucsonOro ValleySahuarita |
| Pinal | $209 | $162 | $210 | Queen CreekCasa GrandeMaricopa |
| Santa Cruz | $215 | $155 | $175 | NogalesRio Rico |
| Yavapai | $225 | $175 | $175 | Prescott ValleyPrescottCottonwood |
| Yuma | $188 | $155 | $175 | YumaSan LuisSomerton |
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
The Arizona Department of Economic Security runs a Child Care Assistance program that helps families with lower incomes pay for care while they work or go to school. On DaycarePal, 124 Arizona daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the Arizona daycares that accept it.
Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify, mostly by income, and serve children from birth to age 5. Some Arizona school districts also run preschool classes; ask yours what it offers and who can join.
Home daycares and part-time schedules can cost less too. When you compare daycares, ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay for weeks your child is away.
Questions
Questions about daycare cost in Arizona
How much is daycare per month in Arizona?
About $932 a month for full-time infant care at a center, at the 2022 middle-county price of $215 a week. At the rates Arizona daycares post in 2026, toddler care runs about $1,135 a month and preschool about $888 a month.
How much does infant care cost a year in Arizona?
About $11,180 a year at the 2022 middle-county price for center infant care, or 19% of the middle Arizona county's household income ($58,421). In 5 of Arizona's 15 counties, center infant care took more than 20% of household income.
Does home daycare cost less than a daycare center in Arizona?
For babies, yes: in 2022 the middle Arizona county charged $175 a week for infant care in a home daycare and $215 at a center. For preschoolers, homes asked $175 a week and centers $162.
Which Arizona county has the highest daycare prices?
In the 2022 survey, Maricopa County had the highest center infant price in Arizona, at $270 a week, and La Paz, Mohave and Yuma counties the lowest, at $188. The table on this page lists all 15 counties.
Why is there no posted infant rate for Arizona?
Only 18 of the 762 Arizona daycare websites we read post a full-time infant rate, too few to give a reliable middle price. Call the daycares you like and ask for their infant rate and what it includes.
We are a directory, not the daycare. Each daycare sets its own prices; ask for the current rate for your child's age and schedule.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices (2022 county prices and household incomes); rates posted on Arizona daycare websites, read in 2026. See daycares in Arizona for each daycare's own listing.