Choose city, school type and lifestyle — see the real cost of raising a child, inflation-adjusted. Parents and planning couples: this number will shock you.
This number is an eye-opener. Whether you're planning or already a parent — share it!
Raising a child in India is a 22-year financial commitment that most parents dramatically underestimate. The visible costs — school fees, clothes, food — are just the beginning. The full picture includes hospital delivery costs, daycare, coaching classes, gadgets, social activities, college fees, and living expenses during higher education.
City and school type create enormous variation. A child raised in Mumbai attending a private international school and studying at a private engineering college will cost 4–5x more than a child in a Tier-3 city attending a government school and studying at a government college. This calculator models both extremes and everything in between.
Education inflation in India runs at 10–12% annually — significantly higher than general inflation. A private school that charges ₹1 lakh/year today will likely charge ₹3.5 lakh/year by the time a child born today reaches Class 9. This is why the inflation-adjusted number is always much higher than the current-cost number.
The monthly SIP figure in this calculator shows how much you need to invest every month, starting today, to fully fund your child's education — assuming 10% annual returns. Starting early dramatically reduces the monthly burden. A parent who starts investing at birth needs roughly half the monthly amount compared to one who starts when the child is 5.