Childhood Cost: Two Countries
What raising one child to eighteen costs in two countries, the gap over the whole childhood, and what it works out at per year and per month.
Raising one child to eighteen costs about $260,000 in the United Kingdom against about $18,000 in Nigeria — 14.4 times more, a gap of $242,000 across the childhood or about $13,400 every year.
Childhood Cost: Two Countries
Frequently asked
Is this adjusted for purchasing power?
No. These are direct costs in US dollars at national averages. A country that looks twelve times cheaper is usually also a country with far lower incomes, so the ratio between the two figures says more than either figure alone.
Does it include university?
No. It covers birth to eighteen. Tertiary costs vary far more than childhood costs and are free at the point of use in several of these countries.
Why compare at all, then?
Because the ordering is stable even when the absolute figures move, and because families relocating need a rough scale rather than a precise number.
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