The estimated cost to raise a child in 2015 from birth to age 17 is $233,610. This is for a middle-income, married-couple family with two children.
Food costs include food and nonalcoholic beverages purchased at grocery, convenience and specialty stores, including purchases with SNAP benefits; restaurant dining; and school meal costs.
How much of the total cost is food expenses? For a married couple with two children, 17-25 percent per child. For a single-parent, two-child family, it is 25-34 percent per child.
Learn more about the cost to raise children at www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/crc2015.pdf