In its 24th annual survey, Coram Family and Childcare reveal that working parents of children under three in England now pay less than half of last year’s cost for a part-time nursery place. However, prices for this age group continue to rise in Scotland and Wales, and childcare costs for three- to four-year-olds across Great Britain are up by almost 5%.
In our Childcare Survey 2026, we look back over 25 years of data collection on the cost of childcare since the first survey in 2001.
Childcare costs have increased at a higher rate than inflation over the last 25 years. Our 25-year analysis shows year-on-year rise in childcare costs for under-twos in England, until expansion of government funded entitlements in 2024-25 brought the cost of a part-time childcare place for eligible working parents back to what it was in 2005.