How much does childcare cost?
Real nanny, babysitter, childminder, nursery and after-school rates, broken down by type of care and by London borough and postcode, with a calculator to work out what your own week would cost.
Rates last refreshed 10 August 2026
Childcare cost calculator
Pick a type of care and the hours you need each week to see a London estimate.
Babysitter in London, 10 hours a week
£144.90 /week
About £627.42 a month at £14.49 an hour. Estimate only, sitters set their own rates and KidSitter adds no booking fee.
Average rates at a glance
| Type of care | London | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Babysitter | £14.49/hr | £12.85/hr |
| Nanny (live-out) | £16.33/hr | £15.21/hr |
| School pickups | £10 to £15/hr | £8 to £12/hr |
| After-school care | £127/wk | £81/wk |
| Childminder | £8.64/hr | £6.59/hr |
| Nursery (day rate) | £84.30/day | £68.40/day |
| Live-in nanny | £500 to £900/wk | N/A |
| Overnight nanny | £180 to £350/night | N/A |
| Maternity nurse | £220 to £400/24hrs | N/A |
| Au pair | £90 to £180/wk | £85 to £150/wk |
| Mother's helper | £7 to £11/hr | N/A |
Costs by type of childcare
Nanny costs
Live-out, live-in, overnight and nanny share.
Babysitter costs
What to pay for an evening or weekend sit.
Childminder costs
Registered care in the childminder's home.
After-school & wraparound care
School pickups, after-school nannies and clubs.
Au pair costs
Pocket money, board and what's fair in London.
Maternity nurse costs
Specialist newborn support, priced per 24 hours.
Mother's helper costs
An extra pair of hands while you're at home.
Costs by area
Rates vary a lot across the capital. See every London borough, or jump straight to your postcode using the box above.
Childcare costs in LondonCommon questions
How much does childcare cost in the UK?
It depends on the type of care and where you live. A babysitter is usually the cheapest hourly option, a childminder sits in the middle, and a nanny is the most expensive per hour but often the best value for two or more children. London rates typically run 15 to 25% above the UK average.
What's the cheapest type of childcare?
For occasional cover, a babysitter or mother's helper is normally cheapest per hour. For regular full-time cover, a childminder or nursery usually costs less than a nanny for one child, but a nanny often works out cheaper once you have two or three children, because you pay per hour, not per child.
Do I pay a booking fee on KidSitter?
No. KidSitter charges parents a membership to message sitters, and nothing else. There's no booking fee and no commission, sitters keep 100% of what you pay them, and you can arrange care directly.
How often are these rates updated?
Every page shows the exact date its figures were last refreshed, directly above the rate tiles. That same date is published in the page's structured data, so it's never out of step with what you see.
Sources & methodology
Figures are midpoints of current advertised rates for each type of childcare, compiled from published UK childcare rate surveys and advertised London rates, then grouped by borough, zone or London-wide depending on how granular the underlying data is. Each figure is labelled with the level it comes from, so nothing here implies more precision than the data supports. Rates exclude any agency fees, KidSitter charges no booking fee or commission. Last refreshed 10 August 2026.