How much does daycare cost in North Carolina?

The figures on this page come from the U.S. Department of Labor's 2022 county survey, which collects what child care providers charge in each county. The North Carolina figure is the middle of 99 county prices, and every county counts the same, so a small mountain county weighs as much as Wake or Mecklenburg.

We do not show a posted 2026 rate for North Carolina yet. Many of the rates North Carolina daycares post on their websites are for half-day or part-week programs, and we hold them back until we can separate them from full-time care.

Where you live in North Carolina changes the price more than almost anything else. In 2022, center infant care ran from $109 a week in Alleghany County to $355 a week in Orange County, which includes Chapel Hill. The two largest counties sit near the high end: $307 a week in Wake County, which includes Raleigh, and $284 in Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte. Guilford County, home to Greensboro, was $227.

Home daycares cost less for babies. The middle North Carolina county charged $151 a week for infant care in a home daycare in 2022, against $181 at a center. For preschoolers the two were close, $125 at a home daycare and $123 at a center.

North Carolina's Subsidized Child Care Assistance program, overseen by the NC Department of Health and Human Services, helps families with lower incomes pay for care; families apply through their county department of social services. On DaycarePal, 3,210 North Carolina daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the North Carolina 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. For 4-year-olds, ask your school district about public pre-K and who qualifies.

Home daycares, especially for babies, and part-time schedules can cost less. When you compare, ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay for holidays and weeks your child is away.