Did you know that seven of the 10 suburbs with the most expensive childcare cost in Australia are located in Sydney? Coogee takes the seventh spot in this top 10 list.
Coogee parents pay $159.36 a day for childcare services, according to survey data collected by KindiCare, a childminding app for families and childcare providers. Coogee’s numbers closely follow the rates of these top three Sydney locations: Rose Bay ($168), Mosman ($161.90) and the City of Sydney ($161.90).
The rest of the Sydney suburbs on this list include Surry Hills, Bondi, Crows Nest and Vaucluse, whilst two Melbourne suburbs, Armadale and Prahan, round up the top 10 places with most expensive childcare costs in the country.
| SUBURB | REGION | COST of CHILDCARE |
| Rose Bay | Sydney NSW | $168 |
| Mosman | Sydney NSW | $161.90 |
| City of Sydney | Sydney NSW | $161.63 |
| Armadale | Melbourne VIC | $161 |
| Prahan | Melbourne VIC | $160.88 |
| Surry Hills | Sydney NSW | $159.63 |
| Coogee | Sydney NSW | $159.36 |
| Bondi | Sydney NSW | $158.78 |
| Crows Nest | Sydney NSW | $158.67 |
| Vaucluse | Sydney NSW | $158.18 |
According to KindiCare creator Benjamin Balk, the results of the survey covering 16,400 centres wer not surprising and he believes that an expensive childcare cost does not always equate to quality. However, some facilities in Sydney may be more expensive because there are exclusive or unique choices that are not commonly available at other facilities.
Mr Balk said that there are heaps of private childcare facilities in Sydney that provide options like music lessons for kids or an onsite chef who prepares their meals, on top of the quality learning experiences given to the children. Many parents are also willing to invest in these inclusions because the long-term outcomes become evident when their son or daughter start formal school.
KindiCare’s survey also showed that 85 percent of Australia’s childcare centres meet the minimum standard of quality as rated by the Australian Children’s Education Quality and Care Authority (ACECQA).
However, childcare costs are a strain on the budget of about 90,000 working parents who pay more for this expense than their rent or mortage, according to Georgie Dent of Parenthood. Whilst the Australian Government provide childcare subsidies, Ms Dent believes that fees will continue to increase unless the system is fixed.
