ROCHESTER, N.Y. — So, what do you think costs more – rent or childcare? If you said childcare, you’re right. That’s the topic of Thursday’s consumer alert. Some may find it hard to believe that care for your kids costs more than keeping a roof over your head. But for most of the country, that’s the case.

LendingTree analyzed HUD’s fair market value of a two-bedroom apartment versus childcare costs according to Child Care America and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It found that across the country, full-time care at a childcare center for two kids is on average 39% more than rent in 100 of America’s largest cities. That’s assuming you’re paying for care for an infant and a four-year old. Care gets slightly cheaper for toddlers, but not much.

Here in Rochester, childcare is dramatically more than the cost of rent, even with the huge jumps in rent we’ve seen in recent years. In fact, the difference between what we pay for rent and the cost of childcare is the eighth highest in the country.

“It’s really created a difficult situation in a lot of cities, and Rochester and some of your neighbors in Upstate New York are certainly among those,” said Matt Schulz, Chief Credit Analyst at LendingTree and author of Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More: How to Take Control of your Financial Life.

“What we found was that Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, some of the big cities in Upstate New York had some of the biggest differences in childcare costs and rent costs of any big cities in America,” said Schulz.

Just how much more? Let’s call our fictious Rochester couple Bob and Beth. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in Rochester, rent for a two-bedroom costs on average $1,307 a month which comes out to $15,684 a year. But if Bob and Beth have two kids, childcare for both costs on average $2,654 a month and a whopping $31,848 annually. That means care for their kids is 103% more than rent.

For so many families, it’s just not manageable. So, I researched both of the presidential candidate’s plans to address the childcare crisis. While former president Trump has not laid out a plan, his running mate says he’d like to see a more generous child tax credit, and he suggested family members should step up to help. That’s not possible for many.

Vice President Harris has proposed an expanded child tax credit and capping childcare costs at 7% of a family’s income but has no specifics on funding or implementation. For now, we do have childcare assistance programs in New York. Click here for information on New York State’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

Click here to learn more about subsidies available through the Healthy Kids program. It provides up to 4 weeks of childcare while you’re in the process of applying for assistance through New York State.

Click here for information on applying for CCAP through Monroe County.