If you ever stop to talk about the future with your friends, some of them might say something like “Well I love New York City, but I can’t see myself raising a family here, it just seems so hard.” Next time that happens, tell them to quit their bitching, because a new report from the Economic Policy Institute (via the Wall Street Journal) says that New York City is the second-most expensive city in the United States in which to raise a family. Doesn’t seem so bad when we put it that way, does it?
The Economic Policy Institute looked at the costs of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, taxes and what they called “other necessities” which included things like school supplies, entertainment and clothing to determine how much it costs to raise a family of four in a given city or metro area, and then put it in a calculator. At $98,722/year, it certainly sounds expensive to have a family made up of 2 adults and 2 children (and you need two kids to foster a healthy sense of competition) in New York City, and it definitely is.
However, Washington, DC takes the prize for being the most expensive spot to raise your terrible family, with the costs totaling up to an astounding $106,943/year. And that doesn’t even take into account the mental costs associated with waking up every day knowing you live in Washington, DC. Of course, we suppose you don’t have to try to figure out a way to raise a kid in New York City if you really don’t want to, just remember that if you don’t and then they move here anyway everyone on the internet will yell at them about how they’re a transplant ruining everything. You don’t want that to happen, do you?