Daycare cost · Massachusetts
How much does daycare cost in Massachusetts?
Full-time infant care at a Massachusetts daycare center cost a median of $352 a week in the latest federal county survey. The 48 Massachusetts daycares that post an infant rate on their websites charge a median of $488 a week.
- a week, center infant care, county survey
- $352
- a week, center preschool, county survey
- $270
- a week, infant rate posted by daycares
- $488
- a week, preschool rate posted by daycares
- $332
By age
Daycare prices by age in Massachusetts
Weekly prices for full-time care. The county survey figures are the middle county in Massachusetts; the posted figures are the middle rate on Massachusetts daycare websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $352 | $262 | $488Middle half $416 to $585 · 48 daycares |
| Toddler | $320 | $249 | $431Middle half $384 to $542 · 44 daycares |
| Preschool | $270 | $242 | $332Middle half $279 to $442 · 78 daycares |
| School ageOften before and after school only | $210 | $238 | Too few to show |
County survey: U.S. Department of Labor, 2022; Massachusetts figure = the median of 14 county medians. Posted: one full-time rate per daycare, read in 2026, from 98 Massachusetts daycare websites (90.8% 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
These two numbers measure different things. The 2022 figure is the U.S. Department of Labor's price for the middle Massachusetts county, built from state surveys of what providers charge, and each of the 14 counties counts the same, so Berkshire County weighs as much as Middlesex. The 2026 figure is the middle rate among Massachusetts daycares that publish their prices online, and those are mostly centers (90.8% of the 98 that post a rate).
Prices have also climbed since 2022. Posted infant rates run about $136 a week above the 2022 county price, toddler rates about $111 above it and preschool rates about $62 above it. The 2022 figures are good for comparing counties; the posted rates show what a center with a website asks now.
By county
Where daycare costs more in Massachusetts
Lowest county price
$330a week for center infant care in Berkshire County and 3 other countiesHighest county price
$590a week for center infant care in Suffolk CountyMiddlesex County
$462a week for center infant care; the most populous county in MassachusettsWorcester County
$390a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousEssex County
$462a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousWhere you live in Massachusetts makes a big difference. In 2022, center infant care cost $330 a week in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties in the west, and $590 a week in Suffolk County, which includes Boston. Middlesex and Essex counties, two of the most populous, both came in at $462 a week, and Worcester County at $390.
Home daycares cost less, most of all for babies. The middle Massachusetts county charged $262 a week for infant care in a home daycare in 2022, against $352 at a center.
- A year of center infant care at the middle county price
- $18,304
- of the middle county household income ($89,486)
- 20%
- counties where it passed 20% of household income
- 10 of 14
Every county
Daycare prices in every Massachusetts 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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable | $352 | $270 | $275 | HyannisWest YarmouthCenterville |
| Berkshire | $330 | $230 | $225 | PittsfieldDaltonNorth Adams |
| Bristol | $352 | $270 | $275 | Fall RiverNew BedfordTaunton |
| Dukes | $352 | $270 | $275 | Vineyard HavenEdgartownWest Tisbury |
| Essex | $462 | $310 | $250 | LawrenceLynnMethuen |
| Franklin | $330 | $230 | $225 | GreenfieldOrangeTurners Falls |
| Hampden | $330 | $230 | $225 | SpringfieldChicopeeHolyoke |
| Hampshire | $330 | $230 | $225 | BelchertownNorthamptonSouth Hadley |
| Middlesex | $462 | $310 | $250 | LowellEverettFramingham |
| Nantucket | $352 | $270 | $275 | Nantucket |
| Norfolk | $555 | $420 | $370 | QuincyRandolphWeymouth |
| Plymouth | $352 | $270 | $275 | BrocktonPlymouthMiddleboro |
| Suffolk | $590 | $350 | $320 | BostonDorchesterRevere |
| Worcester | $390 | $285 | $250 | WorcesterFitchburgLeominster |
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care offers Child Care Financial Assistance, which helps families with lower incomes pay for child care and out-of-school time programs. On DaycarePal, 6,436 Massachusetts daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the Massachusetts 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. Many Massachusetts towns also run public preschool classes; ask your school district.
Home daycares often charge less than centers, and Massachusetts has many of them. Part-time schedules can lower the bill too. Ask each daycare about registration fees, sibling discounts and what you pay when your child is away.
Questions
Questions about daycare cost in Massachusetts
How much is daycare per month in Massachusetts?
About $1,525 a month for full-time infant care at a center, at the 2022 middle-county price of $352 a week. At the rates Massachusetts daycares post in 2026, infant care runs about $2,115 a month and preschool about $1,439 a month.
How much does infant care cost a year in Massachusetts?
About $18,304 a year at the 2022 middle-county price for center infant care, or 20% of the middle Massachusetts county's household income ($89,486). In 10 of the 14 counties, center infant care took more than 20% of household income.
Is home daycare less expensive than a center in Massachusetts?
Yes, in the 2022 county survey. The middle Massachusetts county charged $262 a week for infant care in a home daycare and $352 at a center; for preschoolers the figures were $242 and $270.
Which Massachusetts county has the highest daycare prices?
In the 2022 survey, Suffolk County had the highest center infant price, at $590 a week, and Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties the lowest, at $330. The table on this page lists every county.
Why do daycare websites show higher prices than the survey?
The survey is from 2022 and counts every county the same, while the daycares that post rates online are mostly centers posting 2026 prices. Use the survey to compare counties and the posted rates for what centers ask today.
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 Massachusetts daycare websites, read in 2026. See daycares in Massachusetts for each daycare's own listing.