Childcare Costs in Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, the typical full-time price for infant care at a childcare center is $1,380 a month ($16,565 a year), based on the federal government's childcare price database (2023 estimates). That is about 80% above the national median of $765 a month. Here is the full picture for Rhode Island by age and care type.
Median childcare prices in Rhode Island
| Age | Center / year | Center / month | Home-based / year | Home-based / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infant | $16,565 | $1,380 | $12,170 | $1,014 |
| Toddler | $15,821 | $1,318 | $11,832 | $986 |
| Preschool | $14,199 | $1,183 | $10,909 | $909 |
Medians across Rhode Island's 5 counties in the federal database. Home-based means a licensed family childcare home. Monthly is the annual price divided by 12.
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Preset to Rhode Island's median. Replace it with a real quote any time.
Want the full comparison?
Centers vs a nanny vs after-school care, with the tax breaks included, in our childcare cost calculator. Then fold the winner into your family budget planner.
How Rhode Island compares
At $1,380 a month for infant care at a center, Rhode Island sits about 80% above the national median. For a typical Rhode Island family earning $100,645 a year, that one bill is about 16.5% of gross income, before any tax breaks, and the federal affordability benchmark is 7%. Inside the state, prices run from $13,839 a year in Providence County to $18,416 in Newport County for the same infant center care, which is why where you live in Rhode Island matters as much as the state line.
New to the options? Read childcare costs explained and our story on the real cost of childcare.
Frequently asked questions
How much does childcare cost in Rhode Island?
The median price of full-time infant care at a childcare center in Rhode Island is $1,380 a month ($16,565 a year) in the federal data (2023 estimates). Home-based infant care runs $1,014 a month, and preschool at a center is $1,183 a month.
Why do prices vary so much inside Rhode Island?
These are medians across Rhode Island's 5 counties in the federal database. For infant care at a center, the priciest county in the data is Newport County at $18,416 a year and the least pricey is Providence County at $13,839. City care almost always costs more than rural care.
How current are these figures?
They are the US Department of Labor's 2023 estimated prices, the latest federal childcare price release, built from the National Database of Childcare Prices. Prices have likely risen since, so use them as a solid floor when you budget and compare quotes, not as a quote themselves.
How can I bring the bill down?
Compare center and home-based prices above, ask about sibling discounts and part-week schedules, and claim every tax break: the Child and Dependent Care Credit and a Dependent Care FSA can return real money. Our childcare cost calculator models centers, nannies and after-school care side by side.
Keep exploring
Neighboring states in the alphabet: Pennsylvania · South Carolina
All states: childcare costs by state · Tools: Childcare cost calculator · Family budget planner
Source: US Department of Labor, Women's Bureau, National Database of Childcare Prices (NDCP), county price data table, 2023 estimated prices, retrieved 2026-10-13. State figures are medians of the state's county median prices; monthly figures are the annual price divided by 12. Prices have likely risen since 2023, so treat these as a well-documented floor, not a quote.