How Much Do Crèches Charge in South Africa? 2026 Fee Guide

Kindi Team • October 19, 2026

There is no single “right” crèche fee in South Africa. The most recent national data, the government’s ECD Census 2021, found an average monthly fee of R509 per child, with subsidised programmes averaging R208 and unsubsidised programmes R649 at the time. Those figures are now several years old and hide huge variation, so the reliable way to set your fee is to work out what each child actually costs you, add a buffer, and then check that number against centres near you.

This guide shows you how to do that, with a worked example you can copy.

What the national data tells us (and what it doesn’t)

The ECD Census 2021, run by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), counted 42,420 early learning programmes. Its summary report found that 94% charge fees, and that fees are the main source of funding for 69% of programmes. It also found that most programmes (62%) let at least some children attend without paying. Fees in the Western Cape and Gauteng were more than three times higher than in the Eastern Cape, yet even within the Western Cape half of programmes charged R450 or less.

A 2024 working paper by Kika-Mistry and Wills, using the same census data, found that close to 80% of programmes charged R500 or less per child per month, and about 40% charged R200 or less. It also looked at where the money goes. In a 2021 sample, practitioner salaries and stipends made up about 42% of monthly operating costs and food about 29%.

Two cautions. First, these numbers were collected between 2021 and early 2022, before several years of inflation and minimum-wage increases. Second, an average across tens of thousands of very different centres will not tell you what to charge in your suburb or township. Use the data for context, not as your price list.

Step 1: Add up your real monthly costs

List every cost for a normal month. Most centres forget the irregular ones, so spread annual costs (insurance, equipment replacement, audits, repairs) over 12 months.

Staff: salaries or stipends for the principal, practitioners, assistants, cook and cleaner, plus employer payroll contributions such as UIF. From 1 March 2026 the national minimum wage is R30.23 per ordinary hour worked, and it applies to your support staff as well. Our guide to crèche staff minimum wage, UIF and leave covers the details.
Premises: rent or bond, rates, security and maintenance.
Food: meals and snacks, calculated per child per day.
Consumables and learning materials: cleaning products, nappies or wipes if you supply them, art supplies, books and toys.
Utilities: electricity, water, gas and data.
Insurance, bank charges, software and admin.
What you pay yourself. If you run the centre, your salary is a cost, not whatever happens to be left over.

Step 2: Work out the cost per child (a worked example)

Here is an illustrative example for a 40-child, full-day centre that rents its premises. Every figure is hypothetical. Replace them with your own.

Monthly cost	Amount
Principal salary	R12,000
3 practitioners at R8,000	R24,000
Cook/cleaner	R6,200
Employer payroll contributions (e.g. UIF)	R450
Rent	R10,000
Food: 40 children × 21 days × R14	R11,760
Consumables and learning materials	R2,500
Utilities and data	R3,500
Insurance	R1,200
Admin, software and bank charges	R1,500
Maintenance reserve	R1,500
Total	R74,610

A quick minimum-wage check on the cook/cleaner: 45 hours a week × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months is about 195 hours a month. At R30.23 an hour that comes to R5,894.85, so R6,200 is above the minimum.

Now the arithmetic:

Don’t budget on a full house. Assume 90% occupancy: 40 × 0.9 = 36 paying children.
Cost per paying child: R74,610 ÷ 36 = R2,072.50 a month.
Add a buffer: 5% for fees you won’t collect and 10% surplus for reserves and growth. R2,072.50 × 1.15 = R2,383.38.
Round it: a full-day fee of about R2,390 a month.

This centre’s break-even fee is far above the national average from 2021. That is exactly why you should calculate the fee yourself. If your community can’t carry the number you get, the gap has to be closed with a subsidy, fundraising or lower costs. Charging less and hoping it works out will not close it. If you are registered or working towards it, our guide to ECD subsidies and funding explains how the subsidy fits in, and the subsidy calculator gives you a quick estimate.

Step 3: Benchmark locally

Once you know your cost-based fee, check it against the market around you:

Phone or visit five to ten centres within your area and ask for their fee schedule as a prospective parent would.
Compare like with like: hours, meals included, age group, ratios, and whether aftercare or holiday care is extra.
Look at what parents in your area earn and what they pay for transport. A fee that is fair on paper may still be out of reach.

If you come in well above local centres, be ready to explain what parents get for the difference. If you come in well below, you may be underpricing and running down your reserves.

Typical fee structures

Full day and half day

Price half day from its actual cost rather than halving the full-day fee. Staffing and rent don’t halve when children leave at lunchtime, because you still need enough staff for the busiest part of the day.

Aftercare

Aftercare for school-going children is usually a separate fee. Cost it on its own: extra staff hours, afternoon snacks and homework supervision.

Registration fees and deposits

Many centres charge a once-off registration fee (admin and a place-holding commitment) and sometimes a refundable deposit. Say in writing what each one covers and when, if ever, it is refunded. Our crèche fee policy checklist covers the legal points.

Annual increases

Review fees once a year, using your updated cost sheet. Minimum-wage changes, food prices and CPI (published monthly by Stats SA) are the usual drivers. Tell parents well in advance and show them the main reasons for the increase.

Discounts

Sibling or early-payment discounts can help, but build them into your model. A 10% sibling discount on eight families is a real cost.

If you bill in Kindi, fee templates let you set up your full-day, half-day and aftercare fees once and invoice families from them, instead of typing each invoice by hand.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average crèche fee in South Africa?

The ECD Census 2021 reported an average of R509 per child per month (R208 for subsidised and R649 for unsubsidised programmes). That data was collected in 2021–2022, so current fees are likely higher. Treat it as background only.

Should I charge fees for 12 months or 11?

Either works if your cost model matches. Your rent and salaries are paid for 12 months. If you charge fees for 11, each of those months has to cover the full year’s costs.

How often should I increase fees?

Once a year is common, with advance written notice. Recalculate your cost per child each year instead of copying another centre’s percentage.

Can I charge a registration fee?

Yes, as long as you explain clearly what it is for and whether it is refundable. The Consumer Protection Act requires reservation deposits and cancellation charges to be reasonable. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.

For the next step of actually getting paid, read how to collect crèche fees: EFT vs debit order vs card and our guide to handling late payments.