Daycare cost · South Carolina
How much does daycare cost in South Carolina?
Full-time infant care at a South Carolina daycare center cost a median of $117 a week in the latest federal county survey. The 33 South Carolina daycares that post a toddler rate online charge a median of $225 a week.
- a week, center infant care, county survey
- $117
- a week, center preschool, county survey
- $127
- a week, preschool rate posted by daycares
- $205
- Counties priced
- 46
By age
Daycare prices by age in South Carolina
Weekly prices for full-time care. The county survey figures are the middle county in South Carolina; the posted figures are the middle rate on South Carolina daycare websites.
| Age | Center, county survey | Home daycare, county survey | Posted by daycares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $117 | $134 | Too few to show |
| Toddler | $117 | $134 | $225Middle half $178 to $250 · 33 daycares |
| Preschool | $127 | $136 | $205Middle half $149 to $243 · 44 daycares |
| School ageOften before and after school only | $134 | $140 | Too few to show |
County survey: U.S. Department of Labor, 2022; South Carolina figure = the median of 46 county medians. Posted: one full-time rate per daycare, read in 2026, from 54 South Carolina daycare websites (100% 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 is the U.S. Department of Labor's price for the middle South Carolina county, based on state surveys, with each of the 46 counties counted the same. The 2026 figure is the middle rate among South Carolina daycares that post prices on their websites, and all 54 of them are centers.
Prices have also gone up since 2022. Posted toddler rates run about $108 a week above the 2022 county price, and posted preschool rates about $78 above it. Too few daycares post an infant rate to show one, so ask each center directly.
By county
Where daycare costs more in South Carolina
Lowest county price
$94a week for center infant care in Barnwell CountyHighest county price
$222a week for center infant care in Lancaster County and 2 other countiesGreenville County
$202a week for center infant care; the most populous county in South CarolinaRichland County
$202a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousCharleston County
$202a week for center infant care; one of the 3 most populousWhere you live in South Carolina moves the price a lot. In 2022, center infant care ran from $94 a week in Barnwell County to $222 a week in Lancaster County. Greenville County, Richland County (Columbia) and Charleston County each came in at $202 a week.
In the middle county, a home daycare charged $134 a week for infant care, a little more than a center's $117. In the large metro counties it goes the other way: $139 a week in a home daycare against $202 at a center.
- A year of center infant care at the middle county price
- $6,084
- of the middle county household income ($54,760)
- 11%
- counties where it passed 20% of household income
- 1 of 46
Every county
Daycare prices in every South Carolina 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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeville | $117 | $127 | $134 | Abbeville |
| Aiken | $199 | $181 | $138 | AikenNorth AugustaGraniteville |
| Allendale | $113 | $98 | $116 | None listed |
| Anderson | $199 | $181 | $138 | AndersonBeltonEasley |
| Bamberg | $113 | $98 | $116 | Denmark |
| Barnwell | $94 | $104 | $117 | Barnwell |
| Beaufort | $199 | $181 | $138 | BeaufortBlufftonHilton Head Island |
| Berkeley | $199 | $181 | $138 | Goose CreekMoncks CornerSummerville |
| Calhoun | $117 | $127 | $134 | None listed |
| Charleston | $202 | $184 | $139 | CharlestonNorth CharlestonMount Pleasant |
| Cherokee | $113 | $98 | $116 | Gaffney |
| Chester | $117 | $127 | $134 | Chester |
| Chesterfield | $117 | $127 | $134 | CherawPageland |
| Clarendon | $117 | $127 | $134 | ManningTurbeville |
| Colleton | $117 | $127 | $134 | Walterboro |
| Darlington | $111 | $121 | $133 | HartsvilleDarlingtonLamar |
| Dillon | $111 | $121 | $133 | Dillon |
| Dorchester | $199 | $181 | $138 | SummervilleNorth CharlestonRidgeville |
| Edgefield | $117 | $127 | $134 | JohnstonNorth Augusta |
| Fairfield | $117 | $127 | $134 | Winnsboro |
| Florence | $199 | $181 | $138 | FlorenceLake CityTimmonsville |
| Georgetown | $222 | $163 | $154 | GeorgetownPawleys IslandHemingway |
| Greenville | $202 | $184 | $139 | GreenvilleGreerSimpsonville |
| Greenwood | $222 | $163 | $154 | GreenwoodNinety Six |
| Hampton | $117 | $127 | $134 | Varnville |
| Horry | $199 | $181 | $138 | Myrtle BeachConwayLoris |
| Jasper | $111 | $121 | $133 | HardeevilleRidgeland |
| Kershaw | $111 | $121 | $133 | ElginCamdenLugoff |
| Lancaster | $222 | $163 | $154 | LancasterFort MillHeath Springs |
| Laurens | $111 | $121 | $133 | LaurensClintonGray Court |
| Lee | $117 | $127 | $134 | Bishopville |
| Lexington | $199 | $181 | $138 | LexingtonWest ColumbiaColumbia |
| Marion | $113 | $98 | $116 | MarionMullins |
| Marlboro | $113 | $98 | $116 | Bennettsville |
| McCormick | $117 | $127 | $134 | None listed |
| Newberry | $111 | $121 | $133 | NewberryLittle Mountain |
| Oconee | $111 | $121 | $133 | SenecaWestminster |
| Orangeburg | $111 | $121 | $133 | OrangeburgHolly HillSantee |
| Pickens | $199 | $181 | $138 | EasleyClemsonLiberty |
| Richland | $202 | $184 | $139 | ColumbiaIrmoBlythewood |
| Saluda | $117 | $127 | $134 | SaludaBatesburg |
| Spartanburg | $199 | $181 | $138 | SpartanburgBoiling SpringsInman |
| Sumter | $199 | $181 | $138 | SumterDalzell |
| Union | $111 | $121 | $133 | Union |
| Williamsburg | $117 | $127 | $134 | KingstreeAndrewsGreeleyville |
| York | $199 | $181 | $138 | Rock HillFort MillClover |
Paying for care
Ways to lower the cost
South Carolina's Child Care Scholarship Program, run by the Department of Social Services, Division of Early Care and Education, helps working families pay for care. On DaycarePal, 31 South Carolina daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see the South 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. Ask your school district about free pre-K for 4-year-olds.
Home daycares and part-time schedules can lower the bill too. Ask about registration fees, sibling discounts and whether you pay for weeks your child is away.
Questions
Questions about daycare cost in South Carolina
How much is daycare per month in South Carolina?
About $507 a month for full-time center infant care, at the 2022 middle-county price of $117 a week. At the rates South Carolina daycares post in 2026, toddler care runs about $975 a month and preschool about $888.
How much does infant care cost a year in South Carolina?
About $6,084 a year at the 2022 middle-county center price, or 11% of the middle South Carolina county's household income ($54,760). In 1 of the 46 counties, center infant care took more than 20% of household income.
What does daycare cost in Greenville or Charleston?
In the 2022 survey, $202 a week for center infant care in both Greenville County and Charleston County, and $184 a week for preschool. Richland County had the same prices.
Is home daycare less expensive than a center in South Carolina?
It depends on the county. In the middle county, home infant care cost $134 a week and center care $117 in 2022, but in Greenville, Richland and Charleston counties it was $139 at a home and $202 at a center.
Why is there no posted infant rate for South Carolina?
Only 25 South Carolina daycares post a full-time infant rate on their websites, too few for a fair middle figure. Ask each center for its current infant price.
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 South Carolina daycare websites, read in 2026. See daycares in South Carolina for each daycare's own listing.