Childcare cost in Perth
Childcare fees in Perth vary by provider, suburb, and care type, but a practical long day care benchmark is around $140 a day before subsidy. This page helps you compare what that means for your budget, how CCS can reduce the out-of-pocket cost, and how local fee levels feed into return-to-work decisions.
If you are still comparing provider types, start with our childcare options guide. If you want to understand why your family may not pay the headline fee, read the CCS guide.
Life Decision Hub
Planning for a baby? Start here →
Childcare costs, CCS, return to work, and government support — all in one place.
Part of the childcare planning cluster
How childcare costs compare in Perth
Perth generally benchmarks as a more manageable childcare market than Sydney or Melbourne, though fees still vary by provider and suburb.
A useful working range is about $115 to $175 per day before subsidy, with the city benchmark sitting around $140. That places Perth in the mid-range to lower-cost part of the childcare fee range across the major capitals.
Perth families often see a broader mix of long day care and family day care pricing, which can create more flexibility when comparing total weekly cost. If you want to compare this city benchmark with the broader national picture, use our childcare cost guide.
What affects childcare costs in Perth
- •suburb and postcode, especially where rents and demand are higher
- •provider type, such as long day care versus family day care
- •number of days per week and whether you are locking in a regular pattern
- •your CCS entitlement and any fee charged above the hourly cap
How this changes return-to-work decisions
Perth return-to-work scenarios can still tighten quickly if you move to four or five days a week, but the starting fee level is often less punishing than the eastern capitals.
That is why city-level childcare pricing should feed directly into your work decision, not sit beside it. Use the Return to Work Calculator once you have a realistic fee range for Perth.
Decision support
Planning whether it is worth returning to work?
Model childcare fees, CCS, tax, and your real take-home pay before you lock in a care pattern.
Which childcare schedules should you compare next?
The city benchmark becomes much more useful once you decide whether you are pricing two, three, or five care days. Families in Perth often move between those scenarios as they compare part-time and full-time return-to-work patterns, so it helps to look at both the local fee level and the number of days together.