--- title: Most Expensive Cities for Raising a Child description: Discover the annual costs of raising a child in St. Louis and Kansas City, and see how they compare to other U.S. metro areas in 2026. --- [Partner Publication | Child Care Aware of Missouri](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication) # [Most Expensive Cities for Raising a Child](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/cd-most-expensive-cities-for-raising-a-child) Written by [Child Care Aware® of Missouri](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/author/child-care-aware-of-missouri) | Aug 10, 2026, 8:35:58 PM **Ranked: The Most Expensive U.S. Cities for Raising a Child in 2026** *Bruno Venditti, Visual Capitalist August 7, 2026*   Information from this Visual Capitalist article, which is based on SmartAsset's 2026 metro-area analysis of the annual cost of raising one child in a household with two working adults, shows that St. Louis and Kansas City are ranked 27th and 33rd of 48 major U.S. metro areas. St. Louis - Rank: 27th out of 48 major U.S. metro areas - Annual cost to raise a child: $25,449  Kansas City - Rank: 33rd out of 48 major U.S. metro areas - Annual cost to raise a child: $24,543  Comparison - Raising a child in St. Louis costs about $906 more per year than in Kansas City.  - Both metros are well below the most expensive coastal markets, with annual costs roughly 40% lower than San Francisco's.  - Among the Midwest cities included, St. Louis and Kansas City fall near the middle of the pack, below Minneapolis ($33,307) and Indianapolis ($32,543), but above Detroit ($23,682) and Memphis ($19,922).  What the Cost Includes The study estimates the additional annual cost of having one child and incorporates: - Childcare - Housing - Food - Healthcare - Transportation - Other necessities [\[visualcapitalist.com\]](http://visualcapitalist.com), [\[smartasset.com\]](http://smartasset.com) For someone in Missouri, the article suggests that both St. Louis and Kansas City remain relatively affordable large metro areas for families compared with the nation's highest-cost markets. However, annual child-related expenses still exceed $24,000-$25,000 per child per year.  Source: Visual Capitalist, "Ranked: The Most Expensive U.S. Cities for Raising a Child in 2026."  Read the full article: [https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-most-expensive-u-s-cities-for-raising-a-child-2026/?mc\_cid=8a025671a3&mc\_eid=a4157eaf06](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-most-expensive-u-s-cities-for-raising-a-child-2026/?mc_cid=8a025671a3&mc_eid=a4157eaf06)     The data you need when you need it. 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