Childcare costs in Singapore for a foreign child
In 2026, S$1,900–2,600 a month for full-day infant care, unsubsidised (Paperbump estimate) and S$2,500–3,500 a month for a confinement nanny for the first 28 days (Paperbump estimate). Singapore does not refund a share of what you pay. Checked 22 September 2026.
The ECDA subsidies that cut infant care fees for citizen children do not apply to a foreign child, so you pay the centre's full fee — and most expat families weigh that against a live-in helper or, for the first month, a confinement nanny. Every money figure in the table below is a Paperbump estimate rather than a published price. The one official figure is ECDA's Anchor Operator fee cap, S$1,235 excluding GST for full-day infant care, and it binds only centres inside that scheme.
General information, not financial advice; prices are estimates.
What each route costs
| Type of care | What the figure is |
|---|---|
| Full-day infant care, unsubsidised (Paperbump estimate) | S$1,900–2,600 a month |
| A confinement nanny for the first 28 days (Paperbump estimate) | S$2,500–3,500 a month |
| A live-in domestic helper | no published figure |
- Full-day infant care, unsubsidised (Paperbump estimate)
- Centre-based care from 2 to 18 months, 5 days a week. The only monthly fee the government publishes is ECDA's Anchor Operator cap: S$1,235 excluding GST for full-day infant care. Centres outside that scheme are not bound by it and commonly charge more, and no official page says how much more. The range here is Paperbump's own estimate of what an expat family actually pays at a centre outside the scheme, not a published figure. Citizen children get the Basic Subsidy of up to S$600 a month and up to S$710 more if the mother works and household income is under S$12,000; a foreign or PR child gets neither, and no Paperbump figure here applies one.
- A confinement nanny for the first 28 days (Paperbump estimate)
- Lives in for the first month. The agency fee is Paperbump's estimate and is on no official page. What is official: the S$35 work permit, a S$300 monthly levy when the baby is not a citizen and S$60 when it is. Red packets at the start and end are customary.
- A live-in domestic helper
- The route most expat families with two jobs end up on. You sponsor the work permit and pay a salary, a monthly government levy, insurance and food and lodging. The levy concession for families with a young child is for a citizen child, so a foreign family pays the standard rate. There is no published minimum salary, which is why no figure is given here.
3 things that change the figure
- ECDA subsidies follow the child's citizenship: a foreign child pays the full published fee, whatever the parents earn.
- A confinement nanny's levy is S$300 a month for a non-citizen baby and S$60 for a citizen one.
- Infant care starts at 2 months, about 3 weeks before twelve-week maternity leave ends, so the dates usually line up.
Where these figures come from
Figures for 2026, checked 22 September 2026. Each one is reviewed on its own timetable rather than on a single date in the year.
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