Raising a child through age 18 is most expensive in Hawaii, where a family would spend an estimated $412,661 in 2026, LendingTree found.

Raising a child comes with a long list of expenses, from child care to additional groceries. But how much does that add up to over 18 years?

A new estimate from LendingTree puts the price tag at $303,418 for 2026, or an average of $16,857 per year. It’s the first time the figure has topped $300,000 since LendingTree began the analysis in 2023 and is up about 2% from a year earlier.

The calculation is based on the typical expenses for a couple earning the U.S. median family income, about $100,000, while accounting for offsets from tax incentives. Because the analysis ends when a child turns 18, it does not include the cost of college, another major expense for parents.