The Major Cost Differences of Having a Baby in the US

When it comes to giving birth, different cities deliver very different price tags. And even within a city, labor and delivery charges are anything but standardized. That’s the latest from the first-ever Castlight Health Costliest Babies Analysis, in which the health benefits platform examined the cost of maternity care in the 30 largest US metropolitan areas.

The biggest takeaway? The West Coast is the priciest place to have a baby. Sacramento, California, clinched the top spot at $15,420 for a routine vaginal birth—nearly double the $8,775 national average—followed by San Francisco. When it comes to c-sections, the list is comparable: Sacramento still leads the way (at $27,067), with San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, Minneapolis and San Diego close behind.

The least expensive cities to give birth are exponentially cheaper: At $6,075, the cost of a routine vaginal birth in Kansas City, Missouri, is less than half the cost of the procedure in Sacramento. And Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s $6,891 c-section is four times less expensive than a cesarean in California’s capital.

Castlight also found that within a given city, prices vary for the same procedure. Take New York City: A routine vaginal delivery ranged from $4,022 to $17,646 within the five boroughs. In Los Angeles, the cost disparity for c-sections was even greater: from $6,232 to $42,530.

“The birth of a child is such a special time. The fact that these huge price differences exists for maternity care is deplorable,” Castlight Health’s Kristin Torres Mowat says. “The price variances seen in both routine and cesarean deliveries reflect the larger systemic problems in our nation’s’ healthcare system.”

Regardless of delivery method, Castlight included prenatal office visits, required ultrasounds, delivery, hospital stay and the follow up appointment in these costs. Tests, elective ultrasounds, imaging, medications and anesthesia were not included.

The good news? While your labor and delivery fees may be out of your hands, the cost of raising a baby doesn’t have to be. Check out our month-by-month guides for securing your family’s financial future before baby is even born (broken into first, second and third trimester), written by financial planner Matt Becker.