How much to have a kid in Sg?

[sw08x]

Hi mummies and mummies-to-be,

Would like to ask what's the actual cost of having a child in Singapore assuming we are not looking for a luxurious or fancy lifestyle (don't need to travel to faraway places yearly/buy expensive toys and clothes/hold big parties etc).. am also ok with delivering via subsidised public hospital route, no need private hospitals and rooms.

Have been reading up on govt subsidies like the IFC monthly subsidy ($600) for working mums (I dont plan to stop working), $20k max payout with co-matching baby bonus, fully subsidised mandatory vaccinations etc.

Am having a hard time convincing my hub to have a kid as he is very worried about cost and not keen to lower his standard of living for a kid.. articles online also seem to show that it is expensive to have a kid in Sg but I don't think we are doing very bad financially (both working FT with avg 4.5k monthly pay..) and just wondering is it really that bad?

 

[ZenZen2]

hi

no one reply so i just make an attempt to do so.

for a 9k monthly family income, i don't think there is any issues of raising a child. things u need to consider are:
1) how much is your monthly expenses? if its 9k exp, u don't have excess and of cos, u need to make changes in your live style. so it depends on what is yr monthly excess or savings?
2) in sg, there are many families with kids, family income less than 5k.
3) besides money, another major factor is time. do u have time to spend with your child?
4) from pregnancy to child birth, if u use a public hospital, i think its ard 10k. its a few years so i'm not sure abt the current prices
5) the main cost comes from how u want to raise your child. there are couples who spend few hundreds or thousands on enrichment classes.
there are couples who don't. which type are u?

normal living exp should be easily affordable for your income. its the extra, non essential activities (to some people) which u should consider.
perhaps more experienced mums can advise as well.

 

[sw08x]

hi

no one reply so i just make an attempt to do so.

for a 9k monthly family income, i don't think there is any issues of raising a child. things u need to consider are:
1) how much is your monthly expenses? if its 9k exp, u don't have excess and of cos, u need to make changes in your live style. so it depends on what is yr monthly excess or savings?
2) in sg, there are many families with kids, family income less than 5k.
3) besides money, another major factor is time. do u have time to spend with your child?
4) from pregnancy to child birth, if u use a public hospital, i think its ard 10k. its a few years so i'm not sure abt the current prices
5) the main cost comes from how u want to raise your child. there are couples who spend few hundreds or thousands on enrichment classes.
there are couples who don't. which type are u?

normal living exp should be easily affordable for your income. its the extra, non essential activities (to some people) which u should consider.
perhaps more experienced mums can advise as well.

Hi Zenzen,

Thanks so much for your reply, appreciate it!
I would think that our expenses are not that high because we are both stay home bodies.. Though I believe slight lifestyle changes are still required.

Am keen to go public healthcare to save cost so that we can save the $$ and use it for confinement or for bb's expenses instead.

Time wise, hub and I are stay home bodies so I feel will be ok.. we only leave house for friend gatherings (which we usually host at our place bcos we are lazy to go out haha) and for our weekly yoga sessions (this is the only "luxury" expense for us at $20/class cos it helps me mentally & physically).

Currently both hub and I are still on wfh arrangements and we each go to office 1-2 days a week (helps us save transport cost too).

Hub is concerned about losing his current QoL to have a bb so I'm really trying to have a good idea of how much financial strain it will put on us.. Personally I m not someone who does hair treatments (my salon hair cut only $4) /nails/lashes etc and I don't really spend much on clothes/beauty stuff as well.

I worked out the cost based on online info and somehow it came up to ~$40k from pregnancy to when bb turns 1yo - not sure if that is a good estimate?

I have started saving up for bb exclusively sometime ago and am currently at $20k+ and not sure how long that can last us?

Will continue saving till we actually have a bb - if not will be for my retirement liao..

 

[Mongkok]

your calculation has not completed a life-time cost. you are looking at hvin a kid. not a pet. it's a lifetime commitment.

some insights..
1. Tuition. cheapest ard average $200 per subject per month (increase accord to level)
2. Tech devices. ipad, iphone, laptop, etc (before u said u wont get that for your kid or u get a cheap HP for your kid, ask what HP model u are holding. FYI, nowadays school communicates via whatsapp and conduct online lessons)
3. transport to and fro (before u hit your chest and say ur kid to travel via public transport.. rmbr, we are talking abt the age when he/she is still too young to travel alone safely..)
4. food. (before you said maggi mee, non-nutritious food will end up having sickly kid)
5. caretaking. you? or your PIL or your parent? FOC?
5. higher utilities bill. Limit bathing / AC, etc.?
6. medical, insurance...
7. last but not least, space. you will hv to carve out a portion of your space for the kid.

if you guys insist on not compromising your so-call standard of living, then you will never be ready for a kid.

be it $5k income or $10k income, each comes with its standard of living.

if he isnt ready, you don't naively expect him to split his dough with a new young person who simply can't work, don't work and only drain his energy, money and time.

it may end up ur hub retorting 'you give birth you're responsible.'. then you will end up single parenting.

the math wil nvr derive a satisfactory answer.

 

[sw08x]

your calculation has not completed a life-time cost. you are looking at hvin a kid. not a pet. it's a lifetime commitment.

some insights..
1. Tuition. cheapest ard average $200 per subject per month (increase accord to level)
2. Tech devices. ipad, iphone, laptop, etc (before u said u wont get that for your kid or u get a cheap HP for your kid, ask what HP model u are holding. FYI, nowadays school communicates via whatsapp and conduct online lessons)
3. transport to and fro (before u hit your chest and say ur kid to travel via public transport.. rmbr, we are talking abt the age when he/she is still too young to travel alone safely..)
4. food. (before you said maggi mee, non-nutritious food will end up having sickly kid)
5. caretaking. you? or your PIL or your parent? FOC?
5. higher utilities bill. Limit bathing / AC, etc.?
6. medical, insurance...
7. last but not least, space. you will hv to carve out a portion of your space for the kid.

if you guys insist on not compromising your so-call standard of living, then you will never be ready for a kid.

be it $5k income or $10k income, each comes with its standard of living.

if he isnt ready, you don't naively expect him to split his dough with a new young person who simply can't work, don't work and only drain his energy, money and time.

it may end up ur hub retorting 'you give birth you're responsible.'. then you will end up single parenting.

the math wil nvr derive a satisfactory answer.

Hihi. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Yes, we are definitely aware that having a kid is a life time responsibility and decision. However it's quite impossible to calculate the cost from 0yo to say, 21yo or even older accurately because we'll never know how their life will turn out + rising cost of living, change in lifestyle etc...?

There are so much more misc things to account for financially on top of what you listed as well so yes, fully agree that the financial cost is going to be something we must think about properly (which was how this thread came about). Though we will definitely not save on proper education, food and wellbeing (eg medical cost) for the kid.

You are right that we should not have a kid if either one of us is not ready. Personally am only thinking of having a kid in 2nd half of 2026, so that we can enjoy the new 10w shared parental leave policy. However, I feel that it is time we talk about our plans and finances at least a year before even ttc so that we will be better prepared as new parents.

 

[mc fam]

Hi Zenzen,

Thanks so much for your reply, appreciate it!
I would think that our expenses are not that high because we are both stay home bodies.. Though I believe slight lifestyle changes are still required.

Am keen to go public healthcare to save cost so that we can save the $$ and use it for confinement or for bb's expenses instead.

Time wise, hub and I are stay home bodies so I feel will be ok.. we only leave house for friend gatherings (which we usually host at our place bcos we are lazy to go out haha) and for our weekly yoga sessions (this is the only "luxury" expense for us at $20/class cos it helps me mentally & physically).

Currently both hub and I are still on wfh arrangements and we each go to office 1-2 days a week (helps us save transport cost too).

Hub is concerned about losing his current QoL to have a bb so I'm really trying to have a good idea of how much financial strain it will put on us.. Personally I m not someone who does hair treatments (my salon hair cut only $4) /nails/lashes etc and I don't really spend much on clothes/beauty stuff as well.

I worked out the cost based on online info and somehow it came up to ~$40k from pregnancy to when bb turns 1yo - not sure if that is a good estimate?

I have started saving up for bb exclusively sometime ago and am currently at $20k+ and not sure how long that can last us?

Will continue saving till we actually have a bb - if not will be for my retirement liao..

Hi Sw08x,

Based on the figures share, it seems like it is from pregnancy to bb turns 1 yo, so it is estimated 10 months + 12 months =22 months in total. It translate to $1818 per month. In my opinion , it is a reasonable amount although can be lower according to the lifestyle that you shared.

For pregnancy till delivery, cost for subsidies patient in government hospital is affordable. ( natural conceive and delivery )

The majority of cost is milk pumping, diapers , milk storage items, confinement, milk powder etc. infant care is good but need to have back up plan as baby prone to fall sick.

The rest such as toys, clothes and books can be hand me down/ buy 2nd hand.

cost i think not an issue and $22k should be able to tide through about 2 years if your hubby share cost with you and you are ok to use CDA for infant care cost.

the key is he needs to know baby is part of family and he has to play a part , either to wake up middle of night or take care when you busy pumping etc which translate to lesser me time. so is this his concern about Qol?

 

[sw08x]

Hi Sw08x,

Based on the figures share, it seems like it is from pregnancy to bb turns 1 yo, so it is estimated 10 months + 12 months =22 months in total. It translate to $1818 per month. In my opinion , it is a reasonable amount although can be lower according to the lifestyle that you shared.

For pregnancy till delivery, cost for subsidies patient in government hospital is affordable. ( natural conceive and delivery )

The majority of cost is milk pumping, diapers , milk storage items, confinement, milk powder etc. infant care is good but need to have back up plan as baby prone to fall sick.

The rest such as toys, clothes and books can be hand me down/ buy 2nd hand.

cost i think not an issue and $22k should be able to tide through about 2 years if your hubby share cost with you and you are ok to use CDA for infant care cost.

the key is he needs to know baby is part of family and he has to play a part , either to wake up middle of night or take care when you busy pumping etc which translate to lesser me time. so is this his concern about Qol?

Hello! Thank you for sharing!

As I am working in the healthcare sector, I also get to enjoy some maternity benefits like free pre/post natal tests/meds + hospitalisation. So I'm hoping this will help offset the cost as well.

Thanks for raising that bb tends to fall sick when they are placed in IFCs.. have heard that from some mummies and mostly concerned about whether we have enough leave to take care of the child (we are so happy to hear the increase in parental leave in 2026!). Appreciate your insights on the cost and am relieved to hear that we are not exactly in a bad financial position to have a child.

My hub takes care of me really really well (which gave me all the confidence to start a family). Eg he is the one who goes grocery shopping, cooks, cleans etc because he always tells me to rest. But of course I try to help out as much as possible too haha. He actually really likes kids and would "steal"/"hog" other people's babies or kids when we meet them haha. But I feel deep down he is afraid of the responsibilities that come with it (esp since his circle of friends are mostly still single/married with no kids) - & being a good parent...

 

[mc fam]

Hello! Thank you for sharing!

As I am working in the healthcare sector, I also get to enjoy some maternity benefits like free pre/post natal tests/meds + hospitalisation. So I'm hoping this will help offset the cost as well.

Thanks for raising that bb tends to fall sick when they are placed in IFCs.. have heard that from some mummies and mostly concerned about whether we have enough leave to take care of the child (we are so happy to hear the increase in parental leave in 2026!). Appreciate your insights on the cost and am relieved to hear that we are not exactly in a bad financial position to have a child.

My hub takes care of me really really well (which gave me all the confidence to start a family). Eg he is the one who goes grocery shopping, cooks, cleans etc because he always tells me to rest. But of course I try to help out as much as possible too haha. He actually really likes kids and would "steal"/"hog" other people's babies or kids when we meet them haha. But I feel deep down he is afraid of the responsibilities that come with it (esp since his circle of friends are mostly still single/married with no kids) - & being a good parent...

Hi,

Glad to hear about it. My hubby and I shared similar lifestyle as you , so I can resonate with you. Our expenses on baby is about there although i didn’t keep track of it.
If you have in laws / parents to take care when baby fall sick, that would be the best scenario unless you have some freedom to do own stuff while work from home , without a need to constantly glue to laptop. All the best!

 

[sw08x]

Hi,

Glad to hear about it. My hubby and I shared similar lifestyle as you , so I can resonate with you. Our expenses on baby is about there although i didn’t keep track of it.
If you have in laws / parents to take care when baby fall sick, that would be the best scenario unless you have some freedom to do own stuff while work from home , without a need to constantly glue to laptop. All the best!

Thank you so much! Having our parents to help us cope with urgent babysitting duties will really be very helpful indeed.. Have discussed with my side and they are more than happy to support, though the problem is we are staying at different ends of Sg.. In laws stay much nearer but don't think hub has raised this topic to them at all, but we'll see how it goes!

Also hoping not to delay having a child for too long as now our parents are still very mobile and healthy.. but more importantly I would love for them to have more time to see their grandkids grow up. I am also very close to my mum (she is like my best friend!) and I do hope that she'll be around for as long as possible while I learn the ropes of being an amazing mom like her.

 

[Tracer]

Financial cost is one thing, but the effort taken to take care of the baby is another thing, quality of life sure to be affected