Au-Pair or daycare or nanny? A cost comparison for Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands (2026)

An au pair costs a family in Germany, France and the Netherlands roughly €320 to €350 per month in fixed money — pocket money plus, in Germany, the language‑course subsidy —, plus insurance, a private room and full board. A nanny is an employee: Even at the statutory minimum wage, 100 hours of care per month cost €1,390 in Germany, €1,499 in the Netherlands and €1,231 gross in France, without employer contributions. Depending on the country and income, a daycare is the cheapest solution and can even be free of charge. An au pair, however, is not a cheap nanny: they only help for limited hours and are there for the cultural exchange.

This comparison supplements our Germany guide on the costs of an au pair year with four additional countries. All figures come from authorities, statistical offices and legal texts, retrieved on 18 September 2026. Where there is no reliable official figure, we state that.

Au-pair columns: national au-pair rules, as of 11 September 2026 (sources on our country pages). Daycare and minimum wage: German Education Server (as of 18 August 2026), Federal Government; CNAF, Barème des participations familiales 2026; ISTAT; Belastingdienst and Rijksoverheid; Ministero del Lavoro, Tabella lavoro domestico 2026; BOE, Royal Decree 126/2026; service-public.fr (minimum wage since 1 June 2026). All gross minimum wages, for adults.

The pocket money is just the most visible expense. The costs of an au-pair include:

• Pocket money: Germany at least €280, France at least €320, the Netherlands at most €340 (above this it becomes taxable wages). In Italy and Spain there is no statutory rate; you agree on it freely in the contract.
• Board and lodging: a private room and full meals. How much this is worth is shown by the German cash‑benefit values for 2026, which authorities use to assess free accommodation and meals: €345 per month for meals and €285 for accommodation. For you this mainly means a room that cannot be used for anything else and an extra diner at the table.
• Language course: in Germany a €70 monthly subsidy, in France a course is mandatory. Who pays for it is arranged in the contract.
• Insurance: depending on the country, health, accident and liability insurance. The premiums depend on the provider.
• Search and administration: from €0 with AuPairMatch in the startup phase to agency fees; in the Netherlands the agency fee and a €423 IND fee are added.

Germany: The contributions are set by states and municipalities, usually based on income. Berlin and Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania are contribution‑free from birth, Hamburg for five hours a day, Rhineland‑Palatinate from two years; several states are free from three years. There is no current official average. The last figure from the Federal Statistical Office dates from the 2017 tax year: parents of children under three claimed an average of €1,710 per year. Since 2025 you can deduct 80 % of childcare costs, up to €4,800 per child under 14 per year, as special expenses.

France: In crèches you pay, according to a nationwide CNAF table, a share of your income: for one child 0.0619 % of monthly income per hour, i.e., between €0.50 and €5.26 per hour. For out‑of‑home care there is an additional tax credit of 50 % on up to €3,500 per child under six.

Italy: Contributions for the asilo nido are set by each municipality. According to ISTAT, parents’ contributions cover on average 19 % of municipalities’ nursery expenses. INPS provides a subsidy for nursery fees, depending on birth year and income (ISEE) up to €3,600 per year. We have not found an official figure for the average monthly contribution.

Spain: Whether the escuela infantil is free for children under three is decided by the autonomous community. Nationwide there is a tax bonus for nursery costs of up to €1,000 per year in addition to the maternity deduction. No official average contribution exists.

Netherlands: Childcare is expensive but heavily subsidised. In 2026 the state reimburses working parents with an income up to about €56,000 for 96 % of the hourly rate, up to €11.23 per hour for day care; the share decreases with higher income. From 2029 childcare for working parents is intended to become almost free.

A nanny is your employee. You pay at least the statutory minimum wage, plus employer contributions, vacation, and continued pay in case of illness. For comparison, a simple calculation: 100 hours per month, about 23 hours per week, at minimum wage costs gross in Germany €1,390, in the Netherlands €1,499, in France €1,231, and in Spain €955. Italy has no statutory minimum wage, but the collective agreement for domestic work; depending on the classification, the hourly rate in 2026 is, for example, €7.45 or €8.30. Experienced, trained nannies usually demand significantly more than the minimum.

Some countries relieve families: In France there is a tax credit of 50 % for a household employee and a subsidy from the CAF (Complément de libre choix du mode de garde), in Germany the mentioned deductibility of 80 % up to €4,800 per child.

• Day‑care centre or nursery: if fixed hours are sufficient, you want the children to be with peers and you can secure a place. Pedagogically trained staff, often heavily subsidised in many regions.
• Nanny: if you need many hours of care at home, also for very young children, and you have the budget for employment.
• Au‑Pair: if you need flexible help at off‑peak times — mornings, after day‑care or school, occasionally evenings — you have a spare room and want to give your children another language and culture in everyday life.

Many families combine: day‑care in the morning, Au‑Pair for the afternoon and off‑peak times. In Belgium, proof of care for young children is even a requirement for the Au‑Pair permit.

The platform doesn’t change the ongoing costs, but it does change the search costs. On AuPairMatch you create a family profile, see which au-pairs match you via the match score, and contact them directly. Messages and profiles are automatically translated, and getting to know each other via video call happens within the app. In the startup phase this is free for host families, including contact. AuPairMatch launched in 2026 and is growing; many families search on multiple platforms simultaneously — an additional free profile expands your search.