Compare childcare costs across England
Pick any two English local authorities to see their 2026/27 funded hourly rates side by side, or scroll down for regional league tables. Rates are set annually by each LA using the Department for Education's Early Years National Funding Formula.
Side-by-side comparison
Barnet pays £0.59/hr more than Barking and Dagenham for 3-4 year olds.
| Age band | Barking and Dagenham | Barnet | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2 | £13.21/hr | £14.15/hr | −£0.94 |
| 2 to 3 years | £9.72/hr | £10.33/hr | −£0.61 |
| 3 to 4 years | £6.95/hr | £7.54/hr | −£0.59 |
Why do rates vary between authorities?
Three factors drive the gap. First, the Area Cost Adjustment weights the formula for local wages and premises costs, which is why Inner London LAs sit at the top of the table. Second, each LA keeps a share of its allocation for central services (capped at 5% of the total) and passes the rest on as the funded hourly rate. Third, supplements for deprivation, rurality, and special educational needs add targeted top-ups that vary by area.
Two neighbouring LAs can pay different funded rates for the same age band. A low-rate LA is not necessarily a worse deal: providers in cheaper areas usually charge less per hour overall.
Inner London league table
| Authority | Under 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camden | £17.58 | £12.74 | £9.28 |
| Westminster | £17.87 | £12.74 | £9.24 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | £16.84 | £12.33 | £9.08 |
| Islington | £17.16 | £12.39 | £8.96 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | £17.49 | £12.53 | £8.93 |
| Tower Hamlets | £17.08 | £12.39 | £8.91 |
| Hackney | £16.64 | £12.05 | £8.74 |
| Lambeth | £16.43 | £12.01 | £8.67 |
| Wandsworth | £16.25 | £11.89 | £8.61 |
| Southwark | £16.36 | £11.92 | £8.55 |
| Lewisham | £15.62 | £11.47 | £8.08 |
| Newham | £13.85 | £10.08 | £7.35 |
| Haringey | £14.61 | £10.52 | £7.28 |
Outer London league table
| Authority | Under 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwich | £16.67 | £12.11 | £8.55 |
| Richmond upon Thames | £14.28 | £10.53 | £7.71 |
| Croydon | £14.80 | £10.80 | £7.69 |
| Merton | £14.60 | £10.75 | £7.64 |
| Kingston upon Thames | £14.26 | £10.47 | £7.61 |
| Barnet | £14.15 | £10.33 | £7.54 |
| Hounslow | £14.36 | £10.54 | £7.53 |
| Ealing | £13.97 | £10.27 | £7.50 |
| Enfield | £14.33 | £10.42 | £7.44 |
| Sutton | £13.94 | £10.29 | £7.43 |
| Harrow | £13.69 | £10.10 | £7.39 |
| Hillingdon | £13.99 | £10.29 | £7.38 |
| Bexley | £13.81 | £10.20 | £7.29 |
| Brent | £13.67 | £10.04 | £7.27 |
| Bromley | £13.47 | £9.93 | £7.24 |
| Redbridge | £13.10 | £9.67 | £7.03 |
| Waltham Forest | £13.03 | £9.56 | £6.96 |
| Barking and Dagenham | £13.21 | £9.72 | £6.95 |
| Havering | £12.87 | £9.49 | £6.87 |
South East league table
| Authority | Under 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey | £13.99 | £10.21 | £7.49 |
| Slough | £14.15 | £10.29 | £7.43 |
| Reading | £14.03 | £10.18 | £7.30 |
| Brighton and Hove | £13.46 | £9.85 | £7.22 |
| Bracknell Forest | £13.59 | £10.06 | £7.20 |
| Portsmouth | £13.31 | £9.74 | £7.17 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | £13.16 | £9.68 | £7.14 |
| Southampton | £12.97 | £9.53 | £7.01 |
| Wokingham | £13.00 | £9.61 | £7.00 |
| West Berkshire | £12.74 | £9.35 | £6.95 |
| Buckinghamshire | £12.93 | £9.47 | £6.93 |
| Milton Keynes | £12.49 | £9.22 | £6.86 |
| West Sussex | £12.33 | £9.11 | £6.74 |
| Hampshire | £11.81 | £8.73 | £6.56 |
| East Sussex | £11.99 | £8.82 | £6.49 |
| Kent | £11.75 | £8.67 | £6.43 |
| Oxfordshire | £11.74 | £8.67 | £6.43 |
| Isle of Wight | £11.44 | £8.46 | £6.24 |
| Medway | £11.55 | £8.52 | £6.23 |
East of England league table
| Authority | Under 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peterborough | £12.53 | £9.22 | £6.75 |
| Hertfordshire | £12.63 | £9.31 | £6.72 |
| Thurrock | £12.39 | £9.13 | £6.60 |
| Luton | £12.25 | £8.99 | £6.56 |
| Bedford | £12.03 | £8.86 | £6.55 |
| Cambridgeshire | £11.79 | £8.69 | £6.50 |
| Southend-on-Sea | £12.05 | £8.86 | £6.38 |
| Essex | £11.59 | £8.56 | £6.33 |
| Central Bedfordshire | £11.57 | £8.52 | £6.27 |
| Norfolk | £11.19 | £8.26 | £6.20 |
| Suffolk | £11.21 | £8.28 | £6.20 |
South West league table
| Authority | Under 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol City of | £12.71 | £9.23 | £6.69 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | £12.07 | £8.88 | £6.59 |
| South Gloucestershire | £11.96 | £8.85 | £6.59 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | £12.06 | £8.91 | £6.54 |
| Torbay | £12.13 | £8.88 | £6.38 |
| North Somerset | £11.78 | £8.69 | £6.37 |
| Swindon | £11.83 | £8.65 | £6.32 |
| Plymouth | £11.83 | £8.69 | £6.30 |
| Gloucestershire | £11.35 | £8.37 | £6.21 |
| Cornwall | £10.85 | £8.04 | £6.20 |
| Devon | £10.85 | £8.02 | £6.20 |
| Dorset | £10.91 | £8.08 | £6.20 |
| Somerset | £10.93 | £8.08 | £6.20 |
| Wiltshire | £10.99 | £8.14 | £6.20 |
East Midlands league table
| Authority | Under 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derby | £11.94 | £8.78 | £6.43 |
| Nottingham | £12.25 | £9.00 | £6.42 |
| Leicester | £11.81 | £8.69 | £6.23 |
| Derbyshire | £10.94 | £8.09 | £6.20 |
| Leicestershire | £10.67 | £7.90 | £6.20 |
| Lincolnshire | £10.97 | £8.11 | £6.20 |
| North Northamptonshire | £11.27 | £8.31 | £6.20 |
| Nottinghamshire | £11.10 | £8.20 | £6.20 |
| Rutland | £10.34 | £7.66 | £6.20 |
| West Northamptonshire | £11.33 | £8.36 | £6.20 |
West Midlands league table
| Authority | Under 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | £12.99 | £9.47 | £6.80 |
| Sandwell | £12.59 | £9.25 | £6.53 |
| Wolverhampton | £12.25 | £9.00 | £6.51 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | £12.02 | £8.85 | £6.44 |
| Coventry | £12.12 | £8.91 | £6.38 |
| Walsall | £11.96 | £8.79 | £6.31 |
| Warwickshire | £11.40 | £8.40 | £6.25 |
| Solihull | £11.69 | £8.58 | £6.21 |
| Dudley | £11.52 | £8.48 | £6.20 |
| Herefordshire | £10.50 | £7.80 | £6.20 |
| Shropshire | £10.74 | £7.92 | £6.20 |
| Staffordshire | £11.25 | £8.27 | £6.20 |
| Telford and Wrekin | £11.37 | £8.40 | £6.20 |
| Worcestershire | £10.98 | £8.11 | £6.20 |
North West league table
| Authority | Under 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | £12.66 | £9.29 | £6.68 |
| Halton | £12.18 | £8.96 | £6.48 |
| Salford | £12.19 | £8.98 | £6.46 |
| Tameside | £11.97 | £8.82 | £6.44 |
| Oldham | £12.11 | £8.91 | £6.43 |
| Blackpool | £12.06 | £8.86 | £6.38 |
| Liverpool | £12.33 | £9.03 | £6.38 |
| Rochdale | £12.01 | £8.84 | £6.36 |
| Wigan | £11.76 | £8.66 | £6.36 |
| Bolton | £11.99 | £8.81 | £6.35 |
| Knowsley | £12.19 | £8.96 | £6.35 |
| Wirral | £11.93 | £8.72 | £6.27 |
| Warrington | £11.47 | £8.45 | £6.24 |
| St. Helens | £11.93 | £8.75 | £6.21 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | £11.63 | £8.56 | £6.20 |
| Bury | £11.71 | £8.63 | £6.20 |
| Cheshire East | £10.90 | £8.05 | £6.20 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | £11.40 | £8.41 | £6.20 |
| Cumberland | £10.63 | £7.89 | £6.20 |
| Lancashire | £11.14 | £8.21 | £6.20 |
| Sefton | £11.38 | £8.37 | £6.20 |
| Stockport | £11.18 | £8.26 | £6.20 |
| Trafford | £11.44 | £8.45 | £6.20 |
| Westmorland and Furness | £10.66 | £7.87 | £6.20 |
Yorkshire and the Humber league table
| Authority | Under 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield | £11.82 | £8.68 | £6.30 |
| Bradford | £11.94 | £8.74 | £6.26 |
| Leeds | £11.92 | £8.77 | £6.25 |
| Barnsley | £11.39 | £8.40 | £6.20 |
| Calderdale | £11.29 | £8.33 | £6.20 |
| Doncaster | £11.74 | £8.64 | £6.20 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | £10.84 | £8.02 | £6.20 |
| Kingston upon Hull City of | £11.79 | £8.68 | £6.20 |
| Kirklees | £11.26 | £8.30 | £6.20 |
| North East Lincolnshire | £11.72 | £8.62 | £6.20 |
| North Lincolnshire | £11.15 | £8.23 | £6.20 |
| North Yorkshire | £11.01 | £8.12 | £6.20 |
| Rotherham | £11.59 | £8.50 | £6.20 |
| Wakefield | £11.62 | £8.55 | £6.20 |
| York | £11.19 | £8.26 | £6.20 |
North East league table
| Authority | Under 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | £12.11 | £8.89 | £6.39 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | £11.76 | £8.66 | £6.34 |
| Hartlepool | £11.69 | £8.63 | £6.25 |
| Darlington | £11.46 | £8.44 | £6.20 |
| Durham | £11.31 | £8.35 | £6.20 |
| Gateshead | £11.29 | £8.33 | £6.20 |
| North Tyneside | £11.00 | £8.13 | £6.20 |
| Northumberland | £10.92 | £8.07 | £6.20 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | £11.55 | £8.52 | £6.20 |
| South Tyneside | £11.46 | £8.46 | £6.20 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | £11.33 | £8.37 | £6.20 |
| Sunderland | £11.52 | £8.48 | £6.20 |