Nursery fees in England
A part-time place of 25 hours a week for a child under two costs £189 a week on average in England. A family that gets the 30 free hours pays about £149 a week for 50 hours.
Average weekly nursery fees by region
Prices for term-time weeks. The first column is for families who get no free hours. The other three are what a working family pays for a 50-hour week once the 30 free hours are taken off.
| Region | Under 2, 25 hours | Under 2, 50 hours after free hours | Age 2, 50 hours after free hours | Age 3 or 4, 50 hours after free hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London | £238 | £185 | £181 | £179 |
| Outer London | £217 | £171 | £173 | £158 |
| South East | £202 | £161 | £152 | £144 |
| East of England | £192 | £155 | £141 | £135 |
| South West | £181 | £145 | £133 | £122 |
| North West | £178 | £136 | £124 | £120 |
| West Midlands | £175 | £142 | £138 | £133 |
| North East | £166 | £140 | £126 | £117 |
| East Midlands | £165 | £128 | £130 | £123 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £156 | £126 | £124 | £118 |
| England | £189 | £149 | £141 | £133 |
Regional averages from the Coram Childcare Survey 2026, not any one nursery's price. Work out your own monthly cost.
Where nurseries cost the most
Inner London is the most expensive area for a child under two, at £238 a week for 25 hours. Yorkshire and the Humber is the cheapest, at £156. The gap is £82 a week for the same hours.
What the free hours do to the bill
Without any free hours, 50 hours a week for a child under two would cost about £372 a week in England. With the 30 hours for working parents, the family pays about £149 for the other 20 hours. Check which free hours you get.
Holidays and extras
These are term-time prices. Free hours usually cover 38 weeks a year, so weeks outside term cost more unless your nursery spreads the hours across the year. Meals, nappies and trips are often charged on top; ask each nursery for its price list.
Nursery or childminder?
A childminder in England costs £155 a week on average for 25 hours for a child under two, against £189 at a nursery. Compare the two in your area, or see nursery vs nanny cost.
Help with the cost
Tax-Free Childcare adds £2 for every £8 you pay in, and Universal Credit can pay back up to 85% of a childcare bill. Work out each with the Tax-Free Childcare calculator or the Universal Credit childcare calculator.
Nursery list and inspection outcomes from Ofsted's register of childcare providers, as at 30 June 2026.
Fees shown are regional averages from the Coram Family and Childcare Survey 2026, not any one nursery’s price. Confirm with the nursery before enrolling.
Eligibility rules are the government’s (childcarechoices.gov.uk). Whether a nursery offers the funded hours, and what it charges for meals and consumables, is the nursery’s decision; ask for its funded-hours terms in writing.