If you have a few mini mes running around, then you definitely know the power that a night out without the kids can have on your relationship (after all, we all need a little R & R now and then). However, that means you're going to need a sitter [1]. Not sure what you're going to be shelling out for childcare each night? Urbansitter released its 2017 National Childcare Rate Survey [2], and the average rates might surprise you.
The site surveyed 20,000 families to pinpoint where in the US you'll pay the most for a babysitter and where it won't completely break the bank. For the third consecutive year, San Francisco (the most expensive city to live in in the US) is where you'll pay a babysitter an average hourly rate of $17.34, with New York City trailing right behind at about $16.89 per hour. Yikes.
Researchers also discovered that Denver had the lowest rate at approximately $12.22 per hour and that on average, across the US, the hourly babysitter rate for one child is $15.20. Have three kids? Then you're probably going to be looking at about $20 per hour.
The study also crunched the numbers when it came to the nitty-gritty childcare details: about 90 percent of parents rely on references when trying to find the perfect sitter and 48 percent of families spend $1,000 or more on babysitters each year. Wow, talk about paying the price for a little quality time!