How much childcare costs in Texas
Center-based infant care in Texas costs about $11,048 a year in 2026 dollars (estimate), or $921 a month. In 2022 federal data it was $9,038, 10.5% of the median family income and 1.5× the HHS 7% affordability benchmark.
Cost by age and care type
Annual prices for full-time care, averaged across Texas's counties and weighted by population. 2026 figures are estimates scaled by the BLS day care and preschool CPI to August 2026.
| Age | Center, 2022 | Center, 2026 est. | Home, 2022 | Home, 2026 est. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infant (0 to 23 months) | $9,038 | $11,048 | $8,074 | $9,869 |
| Toddler (24 to 35 months) | $8,435 | $10,311 | $7,684 | $9,393 |
| Preschool (36 to 54 months) | $8,202 | $10,026 | $7,582 | $9,268 |
Family child care, in a provider's home, costs about $8,074 a year for an infant in Texas (2022 data): $964, or 11% less than a center.
Childcare cost by county in Texas
Travis County has the highest center-based infant price in Texas, $11,908 a year in 2022 data, and Coke County, Concho County and 11 other counties the lowest, $5,876: a gap of $6,032 a year (103% higher).
| County | Center infant | Toddler | Preschool | Home infant | Family income | Infant share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis County | $11,908 | $11,128 | $10,868 | $10,712 | $119,793 | 9.9% |
9 countiesBastrop County, Blanco County, Burnet County, Caldwell County, Fayette County, Hays County, Lee County, Llano County, Williamson County | $10,504 | $9,828 | $9,516 | $9,412 | $71,999 to $119,776 | 8.8 to 14.6% |
| Tarrant County | $10,348 | $9,620 | $9,360 | $9,204 | $94,733 | 10.9% |
| Dallas County | $10,088 | $9,360 | $9,100 | $8,944 | $80,917 | 12.5% |
14 countiesCollin County, Denton County, Ellis County, Erath County, Hood County, Hunt County, Johnson County, Kaufman County, Navarro County, Palo Pinto County, Parker County, Rockwall County, Somervell County, Wise County | $9,932 | $9,152 | $8,840 | $8,684 | $71,098 to $134,685 | 7.4 to 14.0% |
13 countiesAustin County, Brazoria County, Chambers County, Colorado County, Fort Bend County, Galveston County, Harris County, Liberty County, Matagorda County, Montgomery County, Walker County, Waller County, Wharton County | $9,620 | $8,944 | $8,684 | $8,528 | $69,689 to $130,195 | 7.4 to 13.8% |
12 countiesAtascosa County, Bandera County, Bexar County, Comal County, Frio County, Gillespie County, Guadalupe County, Karnes County, Kendall County, Kerr County, Medina County, Wilson County | $8,892 | $8,320 | $8,112 | $8,008 | $65,499 to $124,690 | 7.1 to 13.6% |
17 countiesAndrews County, Borden County, Crane County, Dawson County, Ector County, Gaines County, Glasscock County, Howard County, Loving County, Martin County, Midland County, Pecos County, Reeves County, Terrell County, Upton County, Ward County, Winkler County | $8,060 | $7,488 | $7,280 | $7,176 | $61,477 to $132,945 | 6.1 to 13.1% |
7 countiesBrazos County, Burleson County, Grimes County, Leon County, Madison County, Robertson County, Washington County | $8,008 | $7,540 | $7,332 | $7,228 | $69,737 to $86,183 | 9.3 to 11.5% |
| Cameron County | $8,008 | $7,592 | $7,436 | $7,332 | $54,380 | 14.7% |
9 countiesBrooks County, Duval County, Jim Wells County, Kenedy County, Kleberg County, Live Oak County, McMullen County, Nueces County, San Patricio County | $7,956 | $7,488 | $7,280 | $7,176 | $38,438 to $77,667 | 10.2 to 20.7% |
26 countiesArmstrong County, Briscoe County, Carson County, Castro County, Childress County, Collingsworth County, Dallam County, Deaf Smith County, Donley County, Gray County, Hall County, Hansford County, Hartley County, Hemphill County, Hutchinson County, Lipscomb County, Moore County, Ochiltree County, Oldham County, Parmer County, Potter County, Randall County, Roberts County, Sherman County, Swisher County, Wheeler County | $7,644 | $7,228 | $7,072 | $6,968 | $50,000 to $107,885 | 7.1 to 15.3% |
15 countiesBailey County, Cochran County, Crosby County, Dickens County, Floyd County, Garza County, Hale County, Hockley County, King County, Lamb County, Lubbock County, Lynn County, Motley County, Terry County, Yoakum County | $7,592 | $7,176 | $6,968 | $6,916 | $48,750 to $86,369 | 8.8 to 15.6% |
| 3 countiesHidalgo County, Starr County, Willacy County | $7,488 | $7,072 | $6,916 | $6,812 | $42,033 to $54,864 | 13.6 to 17.8% |
| 3 countiesCooke County, Fannin County, Grayson County | $7,176 | $6,760 | $6,604 | $6,500 | $80,421 to $85,134 | 8.4 to 8.9% |
| 3 countiesHardin County, Jefferson County, Orange County | $7,020 | $6,656 | $6,500 | $6,448 | $70,812 to $92,500 | 7.6 to 9.9% |
| 6 countiesBosque County, Falls County, Freestone County, Hill County, Limestone County, McLennan County | $6,968 | $6,604 | $6,448 | $6,344 | $63,788 to $80,034 | 8.7 to 10.9% |
7 countiesBell County, Coryell County, Hamilton County, Lampasas County, Milam County, Mills County, San Saba County | $6,916 | $6,552 | $6,396 | $6,292 | $64,395 to $88,527 | 7.8 to 10.7% |
11 countiesArcher County, Baylor County, Clay County, Cottle County, Foard County, Hardeman County, Jack County, Montague County, Wichita County, Wilbarger County, Young County | $6,760 | $6,344 | $6,188 | $6,084 | $47,614 to $91,838 | 7.4 to 14.2% |
9 countiesDimmit County, Edwards County, Kinney County, La Salle County, Maverick County, Real County, Uvalde County, Val Verde County, Zavala County | $6,760 | $6,448 | $6,344 | $6,240 | $28,685 to $67,852 | 10.0 to 23.6% |
12 countiesAngelina County, Houston County, Jasper County, Nacogdoches County, Newton County, Polk County, Sabine County, San Augustine County, San Jacinto County, Shelby County, Trinity County, Tyler County | $6,708 | $6,292 | $6,136 | $6,084 | $49,569 to $72,961 | 9.2 to 13.5% |
| 3 countiesJim Hogg County, Webb County, Zapata County | $6,552 | $6,188 | $6,084 | $5,980 | $39,146 to $65,891 | 9.9 to 16.7% |
14 countiesAnderson County, Camp County, Cherokee County, Gregg County, Harrison County, Henderson County, Marion County, Panola County, Rains County, Rusk County, Smith County, Upshur County, Van Zandt County, Wood County | $6,448 | $6,136 | $5,980 | $5,928 | $61,726 to $83,564 | 7.7 to 10.4% |
10 countiesAransas County, Bee County, Calhoun County, DeWitt County, Goliad County, Gonzales County, Jackson County, Lavaca County, Refugio County, Victoria County | $6,448 | $6,084 | $5,980 | $5,876 | $58,807 to $86,639 | 7.4 to 11.0% |
19 countiesBrown County, Callahan County, Coleman County, Comanche County, Eastland County, Fisher County, Haskell County, Jones County, Kent County, Knox County, Mitchell County, Nolan County, Runnels County, Scurry County, Shackelford County, Stephens County, Stonewall County, Taylor County, Throckmorton County | $6,448 | $6,084 | $5,928 | $5,876 | $58,686 to $89,034 | 7.2 to 11.0% |
| 6 countiesBrewster County, Culberson County, El Paso County, Hudspeth County, Jeff Davis County, Presidio County | $6,344 | $6,032 | $5,876 | $5,772 | $46,513 to $75,838 | 8.4 to 13.6% |
9 countiesBowie County, Cass County, Delta County, Franklin County, Hopkins County, Lamar County, Morris County, Red River County, Titus County | $6,292 | $5,928 | $5,824 | $5,772 | $58,573 to $82,679 | 7.6 to 10.7% |
13 countiesCoke County, Concho County, Crockett County, Irion County, Kimble County, Mason County, McCulloch County, Menard County, Reagan County, Schleicher County, Sterling County, Sutton County, Tom Green County | $5,876 | $5,512 | $5,356 | $5,304 | $57,113 to $96,193 | 6.1 to 10.3% |
Annual median prices in 2022 data, not quotes. Counties with identical prices are grouped. None of these center-based infant prices is flagged as estimated in the federal file. How prices are estimated.
Neighboring states
- Arkansas$709/mo infant, 2026 est.
- Louisiana$792/mo infant, 2026 est.
- Oklahoma$1,124/mo infant, 2026 est.
See how Texas compares in the full ranking of childcare costs by state.
Frequently asked questions
How much is daycare in Texas per month?
Center-based infant care in Texas costs about $921 a month in estimated 2026 dollars ($753 a month in 2022 federal data). In a center, toddler care runs about $859 and preschool about $835 a month in 2026 dollars, and home-based infant care about $822. These are population-weighted averages across Texas's counties; actual prices vary by provider.
What is the cheapest county for childcare in Texas?
Travis County has the highest center-based infant price in Texas, $11,908 a year in 2022 data, and Coke County, Concho County and 11 other counties the lowest, $5,876: a gap of $6,032 a year (103% higher).
How much of a family's income does childcare take in Texas?
Center-based infant care takes about 10.5% of the median family income in Texas ($9,038 against $86,267, 2022 data), 1.5× the HHS 7% affordability benchmark. That ranks 39 of 49 for burden, where 1 is the heaviest. Across counties it ranges from 6.1% in Glasscock County to 23.6% in Dimmit County.
Source: National Database of Childcare Prices, U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, county file NDCP2022.xlsx (2022 data for Texas). 2026 estimates use the BLS CPI-U day care and preschool index (series CUUR0000SEEB03) to August 2026. Methodology · Download every county (CSV)