Childcare Costs in South Carolina

In South Carolina, the typical full-time price for infant care at a childcare center is $625 a month ($7,498 a year), based on the federal government's childcare price database (2023 estimates). That is about 18% below the national median of $765 a month. Here is the full picture for South Carolina by age and care type.

Median infant care at a center, South Carolina

$625/month

$7,498 a year. National median: $765/month. Federal data, 2023 estimates.

Median childcare prices in South Carolina

Age	Center / year	Center / month	Home-based / year	Home-based / month
Infant	$7,498	$625	$5,662	$472
Toddler	$7,498	$625	$5,662	$472
Preschool	$6,350	$529	$5,509	$459

Medians across South Carolina's 46 counties in the federal database. Home-based means a licensed family childcare home. Monthly is the annual price divided by 12.

Run your numbers with South Carolina prices

Child's age group

Care type

Monthly price per child ($)

Preset to South Carolina's median. Replace it with a real quote any time.

Children in paid care

Your estimated childcare bill

$625

per month, $7,498 a year, for 1 child. That is about 14.3% of the typical South Carolina family income ($52,532 a year).

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 South Carolina compares

At $625 a month for infant care at a center, South Carolina sits about 18% below the national median. For a typical South Carolina family earning $52,532 a year, that one bill is about 14.3% of gross income, before any tax breaks, and the federal affordability benchmark is 7%. Inside the state, prices run from $7,498 a year in Abbeville County to $9,564 in Aiken County for the same infant center care, which is why where you live in South Carolina matters as much as the state line.

Example: Two children in South Carolina, an infant and a preschooler, both at a center: $625 + $529 = $1,154 a month, $13,848 a year at median prices. A sibling discount of 10% on the second child would save about $635 a year.

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 South Carolina?

The median price of full-time infant care at a childcare center in South Carolina is $625 a month ($7,498 a year) in the federal data (2023 estimates). Home-based infant care runs $472 a month, and preschool at a center is $529 a month.

Why do prices vary so much inside South Carolina?

These are medians across South Carolina's 46 counties in the federal database. For infant care at a center, the priciest county in the data is Aiken County at $9,564 a year and the least pricey is Abbeville County at $7,498. 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: Rhode Island · South Dakota

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.