Most families know au pair care costs less than hiring a full-time nanny, but fewer understand exactly where that money goes each week. The numbers matter because childcare is one of the biggest line items in any household budget, and getting clarity on the breakdown helps families plan better and avoid surprises down the road.
The weekly cost of hosting an au pair isn’t just one simple payment. It’s made up of several components that work together to create the total expense. Understanding each piece makes it easier to see the value and compare it fairly against other childcare options.
The Weekly Stipend: Your Biggest Regular Expense
The au pair’s weekly stipend is the most visible cost. As of 2025, host families typically pay around $225 per week as a stipend to their au pair. This payment goes directly to the au pair for their work, which includes up to 45 hours of childcare per week.
Here’s where it gets interesting. That $225 covers way more hours than most families initially realize. If an au pair works the full 45 hours allowed, that breaks down to about $5 per hour. Compare that to what you’d pay a babysitter for evening care or a nanny for full-time help, and the difference becomes pretty stark.
But the stipend alone doesn’t tell the whole story. There are other weekly costs that factor into the real number.
Room and Board: The Hidden Value That Adds Up
Families provide room and board as part of the au pair arrangement, and this has real financial value even though no cash changes hands each week. Your au pair lives in your home, eats meals with your family, and uses household utilities.
The actual dollar value of room and board varies wildly depending on where you live. In expensive cities, providing a bedroom and three meals a day could easily be worth $200 to $300 per week or more. In more affordable areas, it might be closer to $100 to $150 weekly. Most families don’t think of this as a “cost” because it’s not money leaving their bank account, but it does represent value that the au pair receives as part of their compensation.
This arrangement works both ways, though. Yes, you’re providing housing and food, but you’re also getting someone who’s available for early mornings, late evenings, and the occasional date night without having to book a separate sitter.
Program Fees: The Weekly Equivalent
When families sign up with an agency, they pay an upfront program fee that typically ranges from $9,000 to $10,500 for a full year. That sounds like a huge number at first glance, but breaking it down weekly makes it more digestible.
Spread across 52 weeks, that program fee works out to roughly $175 to $200 per week. For families weighing their options, checking out resources from established agencies at goaupair.com can provide a clearer picture of what these fees actually cover and why they exist in the first place.
The program fee isn’t padding someone’s profit margin. It covers things that matter: background checks, visa processing, orientation and training for au pairs, ongoing support for both families and au pairs throughout the year, and coordination if something goes wrong and you need to rematch. These services have real value, especially when you consider what could go wrong without professional oversight.
Education Contribution: A Required Weekly Cost
Host families are required to contribute $500 toward their au pair’s educational expenses during the year. This isn’t optional, it’s part of the program requirements. Broken down weekly, that’s about $10 per week.
Most au pairs use this money to take classes at local community colleges or universities. It’s part of the cultural exchange aspect of the program, and it benefits everyone. Your au pair gets to pursue their interests and meet people outside your household, which generally makes them happier and more engaged with their role.
The Real Weekly Total (And What It Actually Means)
When you add everything up, here’s what families typically spend per week:
- Weekly stipend: $225
- Program fee equivalent: $175-$200
- Education contribution: $10
- Room and board value: $100-$300 (depending on location)
The out-of-pocket cash expense comes to roughly $410 to $435 per week, not counting room and board since that’s provided rather than paid. If you factor in the value of housing and meals, the total weekly investment ranges from $510 to $735.
That might sound high until you start comparing it to alternatives. Full-time daycare for one child often runs $300 to $500 per week, and that’s only covering daytime hours with no flexibility for mornings, evenings, or when your kid is sick. A full-time nanny typically costs $800 to $1,200 per week or more, depending on experience and location.
The problem is that most parents don’t just need care for one child during standard business hours. They need someone who can handle school pickup, stay late when work runs over, help with homework, and be there on the occasional Saturday when both parents have commitments. That kind of flexibility with traditional childcare gets expensive fast.
What You’re Actually Paying For
The weekly cost of an au pair buys something that’s hard to put a price on: consistency and availability. Your au pair is there when your toddler wakes up at 5:30 AM, when your school-age kid needs help with a project at 7 PM, and when your usual schedule falls apart because someone’s sick or you have an important meeting.
There’s also the cultural exchange piece. Your kids get exposure to another language, different traditions, and someone who brings fresh energy and perspective into your home. That’s not something you can easily quantify in dollars per week, but families who’ve hosted au pairs often say it’s one of the biggest benefits.
The Weeks When Costs Shift
Some weeks cost more than the baseline. When your au pair first arrives, there are one-time expenses most families don’t anticipate. You might spend $50 to $100 getting their room set up if you don’t already have furniture. There’s usually a grocery cost spike in the first few weeks as you figure out what they eat. And many families give their au pair a small welcome budget for things they need to get settled.
Then there are vacation weeks. Au pairs get two weeks of paid vacation per year, which means you’re still paying their stipend even when they’re not working. Most families plan their own vacations around this time, so it works out fine, but it’s something to factor into the annual budget.
How It Compares When You Run the Numbers
For families with multiple children, the weekly math becomes even more compelling. That $410 to $435 in out-of-pocket costs covers childcare for all your kids, not just one. A family with three children would pay the same amount for au pair care as a family with one child, while daycare costs would triple.
The hourly breakdown also tells an interesting story. At $225 per week for up to 45 hours, you’re paying about $5 per hour. But your au pair isn’t just watching kids for those 45 hours. They’re doing light housework related to childcare, preparing meals for the children, and handling transportation to activities. The value of those additional tasks would cost extra with most other childcare arrangements.
Making the Weekly Budget Work
Most families find that once they get past the initial program fee, the weekly costs are manageable and predictable. The stipend is the same every week regardless of how many hours you use (up to the 45-hour limit), which makes budgeting straightforward.
The key is planning ahead for the big upfront program fee. Some families save for several months before applying. Others adjust their budget in other areas to make room for the initial cost, knowing that the weekly expenses will be lower than what they’d pay for comparable care.
Understanding what you actually spend each week on an au pair makes the decision clearer. It’s not the cheapest childcare option available, but when you factor in the hours, flexibility, and personalized attention your children receive, the weekly investment starts to make a lot of sense for families who need reliable, full-time care.
