Nursery vs nanny cost
Compare a nursery place with the least a nanny can legally be paid for the same hours.
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Weekly cost: nursery for a child under 2 and a nanny's legal minimum pay
| Who looks after your child | 25 hours a week | 50 hours a week |
|---|---|---|
| Nanny aged 21 or over, legal minimum pay, any area | £317.75 | £635.50 |
| Nanny aged 18 to 20, legal minimum pay, any area | £271.25 | £542.50 |
| Nursery, East Midlands | £165.32 | £127.70 |
| Nursery, East of England | £191.75 | £154.56 |
| Nursery, Inner London | £238.01 | £185.10 |
| Nursery, North East | £166.30 | £140.30 |
| Nursery, North West | £178.01 | £135.54 |
| Nursery, Outer London | £216.94 | £171.39 |
| Nursery, South East | £201.91 | £161.28 |
| Nursery, South West | £180.64 | £145.34 |
| Nursery, West Midlands | £174.83 | £141.79 |
| Nursery, Yorkshire and the Humber | £156.15 | £126.38 |
| Nursery, England average | £188.75 | £148.82 |
Nanny figures are pay for every hour at the minimum wage rates from 1 April 2026: £12.71 an hour at 21 or over, £10.85 at 18 to 20. They are the legal minimum, not a typical nanny wage, and employer costs such as National Insurance and a pension are on top. We have no sourced figure for typical nanny pay.
Nursery figures are term time averages from the Coram Childcare Survey 2026: 25 hours with no free hours, and 50 hours after the 30 free hours for working parents, so you pay for 20.
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.