What You Pay for Daycare in Ontario — Average Prices & Breakdown

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In Ontario, daycare tends to run from $497 to $1,738 per job, with a mid-market job near $929.

Costs differ from one Ontario metro to the next, largely because travel distance and local demand change. The city list below shows the spread.

Typical cost at a glance

United States planning figures, per job
LevelPrice
Low~$497
Typical~$929
High~$1,738

Cost by type

TypeLowTypicalHigh
Standard cost~$497~$1,118~$1,738
Part-time or occasional option~$189~$599~$1,008
Supplies and extras~$55.00~$228~$400
Full-time or premium option~$721~$2,142~$3,563
Summer or holiday coverage~$557~$1,539~$2,520

All figures per job.

How to compare quotes for daycare

Cheapest is not the same as best value for daycare. A slightly higher quote with a complete scope and no open-ended extras is often safer than the lowest figure with caveats.

What moves the price of daycare

The scope you agree drives most of the cost of daycare. Every extra task, upgraded material or access complication adds labour and risk, and the provider prices that risk into the quote.

Timing your daycare

For daycare, same-day and after-hours call-outs sit at the top of the range. A standard appointment booked in advance gives you the best chance of the typical figure.

Budgeting for daycare

Set aside the typical figure, near $929 per job, and treat anything closer to $497 as a bonus rather than a target. For daycare, the middle of the range is the realistic number.

What Daycare typically costs

Plan around a $497–$1,738 per job band for daycare in Ontario. A typical job is near $929, and the gap between the two ends is where scope, materials and timing do their work.

Frequently asked questions

How much does daycare cost?
Most daycare falls between $497 and $1,738, with a typical figure near $929 per job. The low end is a straightforward job with no surprises; the high end covers complex scope, premium materials or urgent timing. For Ontario, ask a provider to put that in writing with the quote.
What affects the price of daycare?
No single factor decides it — scope, materials, access and timing all move the total, and the biggest swings usually come from access and scheduling. Providers serving Ontario can tell you how it affects a typical job.
Is Daycare cheaper in smaller cities?
Often, but not always. Smaller markets can carry a travel or availability premium that offsets a lower local rate, so it is worth checking a nearby city before assuming the lowest published figure applies to you. Where you are in Ontario can change the detail, so compare nearby quotes.
How many quotes should I get for daycare?
Two or three written quotes are enough to see the real market range. Compare the same scope side by side, and ask each provider what is excluded and what would change the price after the quote is accepted. The specifics vary across Ontario, so confirm them with the provider you hire.

Keep comparing

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These are planning ranges drawn from public price data and market research. They are not a quote, an offer or financial advice, and your actual price depends on the provider, the location and the scope of the work.