The Cost of Having a Baby in Canada

By Remitbee - May 2, 2022

Are you expecting a baby anytime soon? Congratulations! Now that you are expecting to bring a little one into the world, you need to prepare not only yourselves, your minds, but also your wallets. The good news is, that delivering a baby in Canada is affordable. But raising a kid can be pricey.

If you become parents anytime soon or are planning to have a baby, it can be an enormous financial burden if you’re not prepared to have a baby in Canada. This article will help you know how much viable a budget you should prepare if you want to have a baby in Canada.

The Canadian Citizenship Act’s third paragraph in section 1 A states that all individuals born in Canada are considered Canadian citizens, regardless of the parent’s status in the country. Only children of foreign diplomats who gave birth in Canada are excluded from this law. So even if you are a temporary resident in Canada, if you give birth here, your child automatically becomes a Canadian citizen.

With that being said, birth tourism in Canada is common and not illegal. Some go to Canada to give birth so that their children, not the parents, can automatically embrace Canadian citizenship.

Childbirth in Canada

Birth costs for citizens, permanent residents, and international residents in Canada are often covered by their publicly-funded healthcare system. Often it is free and may only cost a couple of hundred dollars depending on the specific medical procedure you would require. Of course, for tourists, this may not be true. Visitors who want to give birth in Canada often spend $3,000 to $20,000 depending on whether they have health coverage.

Here’s an overview of how much you will have to spend if you plan on having a baby in Canada with international insurance or coverage under the Canadian healthcare system versus without:

Medical Service

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In some provinces and territories in Canada, local government offers service packages for pregnant women to cut the costs of giving birth in the country, especially for those who are visiting the country. Nonetheless, the average cost of giving birth in Canada for non-residents or visitors is around $25,000.

Raising a Kid in Canada

After answering the question, how much does it cost to have a baby in Canada, the next question to answer is how much does it cost to raise your kid? Raising your kid under 18 years of age in Canada starts at $1,100 per month or $13,300 per year.

Some of the factors you have to consider and set aside for the budget include:

Food

Food is essential for your child to live. Parents spend $900 to $3,000 per year to feed one child in Canada. This average price range may go low or high depending on your food timetable or if your kid has special dietary needs or allergies. You can also save more if you breastfeed your kid instead of buying milk formula.

Daycare

The cost of daycare will depend on where you live in Canada and your child’s age. Generally, daycare costs are higher if your child is younger because they require more attention from their caregivers. It will also depend if you choose a home-based or full-day daycare center. The full-day daycare cost in Canada ranges from $179 to $1,934.

Diapers

Diapers can significantly increase the total cost of raising your kid in Canada as he or she gets older. On average, diapers alone can cost you $500 per year or around $30 per box.

Clothing

Providing your little one with clothing can be expensive since babies grow fast, and you often buy new clothes to fit their growing size. Most parents spend $80 a month on their child’s clothing just for the first year.

To save on clothing expenses, you may resell your kid’s older clothes that don’t fit them anymore or keep them if you are planning to have kids in the future.

School and University

Enrolling your kid in a public school in Canada is free. The only things you have to pay for are school supplies and their snacks, extracurricular activities, field trips, sports, and others. If your child is in a primary school, expect that you will spend around $100 to $150. And if they are in secondary school, the range will be $800 to $2,000.

University expenses are often one of the largest budgets you need to prepare for when you raise a kid in Canada, so it is best to save for this ahead of time. For undergraduate degrees, the average annual expense is around $6,463, and for a graduate degree, $7,056.

May this information help you prepare as you welcome your little one to Canada.

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