Here’s how Many Hours you Need to Work to pay for Your Childcare

Depending on where you live

childcare

We all know childcare can cost a small fortune. Now you can work out how many hours you typically work to cover the average cost of childcare.

The topics of organising childcare and deciding when to return to work after parental leave are ones that lend themselves to much debate. Not only are their emotional factors to consider but there are also practical matters to be discussed.

In particular, weighing up the costs of both parents returning to work against the price of full-time childcare can be a touch subject to broach. Undoubtedly, the financial strain of full or part-time childcare is a burden many new parents face. For some, it can feel as though they are working all hours of the day, sacrificing time with their babies in order to pay for the privilege.

Now, new research has revealed that where you live can dictate the average amount of hours you would need to work in order to cover the cost of sending your child to nursery.

Play Like Mum have sourced the average cost of full-time childcare in the UK’s most populated towns and cities, comparing it with the average monthly salary in the area, to reveal the number of hours parents would need to work to cover the cost of childcare.

An infographic by Play Like Mum

Surprisingly, Norwich in Norfolk topped the list as the town where you would be required to work the most hours to pay for childcare. There, owing to an average monthly salary of £1,277.57 and a monthly cost of childcare of £1053, the number of hours parents would need to work is 143 hours.

On the other end of the scale, parents in Basildon, Essex seemingly need only work 54 hours to cover the childcare costs.

Top 5 Places That Work The Least To Cover Childcare:

  1. Basildon – 54 hours
  2. Newcastle – 57 hours
  3. Coventry – 60 hours
  4. Southampton – 60 hours
  5. Slough – 63 hours

Top 5 Places That Work The Most To Cover Childcare:

  1. Norwich – 143 hours
  2. Wakefield – 131 hours
  3. Northampton – 118 hours
  4. Peterborough – 116 hours
  5. Bournemouth – 113 hours

For new parents in London, where the average salary is the highest (£2,503.90 per month), 87 hours of work would be needed to cover the £1,253.73 monthly cost of childcare.

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