Table of contents
Table of contents
Money is often on a parent’s mind when considering a nursery, childminder or other childcare option for their child’s early years but how much does childcare cost in Wales?
Nursery fees in Wales vary depending on the number of hours a child is in nursery, location etc. Parents should take time to consider which childcare option is best for their child by checking out costs below.
How much does nursery cost in Wales 2025?
| Weekly average nursery cost in Wales in 2025 by age | Part time (25 hours a week) | Full time (50 hours a week) |
| A child aged under 2 | £155.04 | £290.06 |
| A two-year-old child | £146.15 | £279.14 |
The figures above come from the charity Coram’s annual Childcare Survey 2025. It is based on responses from local authorities in Wales.
Parents saw rises of almost 10% in the cost of part-time nursery childcare for under-twos since 2024, and just over 7% for two-year-olds.
How much does part-time nursery cost in Wales?
The average cost of a part-time (25 hours) nursery place in Wales for a child under two is £155.04 per week (£8,062 per year).
A part-time nursery place in Wales for a two-year-old child is £146.15 a week (£7,600 per year).
How much does a full-time nursery place cost in Wales?
The average cost of a full-time (50 hours a week) nursery place for a child under two is £290.06 a week (£15,083) per year.
For a two-year-old, the average cost of a full-time nursery place is £279.14 (£14,515 per year).
Can I get free childcare in Wales?
Free childcare hours for 2 year-olds
Some two-year-olds living in deprived areas in Wales can get up to 12.5 hours a week of free childcare as part of the Flying Start scheme. However, not all areas in Wales are able to provide this. For details, contact your local Family Information Service.
30 hours free childcare offer for Wales for 3 and 4-year-olds
In Wales, working parents of children aged three and four can get up to 30 hours of free childcare per week (term-time), if they are eligible.
30 hours a week is made up of:
- at least 10 hours of early education
- up to 20 hours of childcare
There is a guaranteed 10 hours per week for all three and four-year-olds, as part of the Foundation Phase.All local authorities provide at least 10 hours per week in a local school, playgroup, day nursery or Cylch Meithrin (Welsh language playgroups).
You will need to apply for Early Education hours. The amount you will get depends on how many hours of early education your local authority offers.
If they need to pay for 20 extra hours to take this up to a full-time (50 hours a week) nursery place, the average weekly full-time cost is £119.23 in Wales in 2025. This is a 5.6% increase on the year before.
This is known as the ‘Childcare Offer for Wales’.
To be eligible for the Childcare Offer Wales:
- you must live in Wales
- each parent’s gross income must be £100,000 or less per year
Gross income is the total income before any deductions including pension contributions, health insurance, salary sacrifice schemes, annual bonuses or dividends.
You must be one of the following:
- employed and earning at least, on average, the equivalent to 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage or Living Wage.
- on Statutory Pay and Leave (Sick, Maternity, Paternity, Parental, Bereavement or Adoption Leave)
- enrolled on a further or higher education course that is at least 10 weeks in length
If you have a partner who lives with you, they must also meet one of these employment or education criteria.
You can Check if you’re eligible for the Childcare Offer for Wales | GOV.WALES
How much does childcare cost in the UK in 2025?
The average cost of childcare varies depending on whether you live in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, how much childcare you need and the type of childcare you would like.
England has significantly lower costs for 25 hours of childcare for children under three than Wales and Scotland. This is because of England’s new working parent entitlement of 15 hours funded childcare per week.
Nurseries in Wales cost more than in Scotland for under-twos and two-year-olds. The weekly average cost for
children aged under two is £155.04 a week in Wales – that’s 27% more expensive than Scotland (£122.38 a week).
How much does a childminder cost in Wales?
A childminder is a registered child carer who works with children for more than two hours a day in their own home.
Part-time childminder cost
The part-time (25 hours) cost of a childminder in Wales for a child under two is £127.95 a week.
The cost of a part-time childminder for a two-year-old in Wales is £129.33 a week.
Full-time childminder fees
The average cost of a full-time (50 hours) childminder in Wales for a child under two is £259.51 a week.
The cost of a full-time childminder for a two-year-old is £251.30 a week.
How much is a nanny in Wales?
The average salary for a nanny/babysitter is £14.71 per hour in Wales, according to jobs website Indeed (24 March 2025).
Having read about nursery costs, you can also read about how to find the right nursery for your child in Wales.
