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Swiss children cost up to CHF1,000 per month

Toys are just one of the many expenses of raising children Keystone

Raising a child in Switzerland is expensive. The average cost of providing for a child is between CHF690 ($781) and CHF1,000 per month. Extrapolated to the child’s 18th birthday that makes an investment of almost CHF180,000.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, which reported figures from the Household Budget Survey 2009-2011, couples with one child had direct costs of CHF942 on average. If children had siblings, the costs went down. Families with two children spent CHF754 per child per month, and families with three children spent CHF607.

Cost incurred by single parents were markedly higher, at CHF1,201 per child per month. Reasons given were the generally higher costs of living for single parents and the higher average age of the children.

Costs go up as the children grow up, the study found. Whereas children under the age of 11 cost CHF691 on average, older children cost CHF1,005 per month.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR