Childcare Costs in Adelaide 2026, What Daycare Fees Really Cost in South Australia
Wondering what childcare costs in Adelaide in 2026? This guide covers average Adelaide daycare fees, centre-based and family daycare costs, how the CCS works, and practical tips for finding childcare in South Australia.
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Adelaide's childcare market is generally more affordable than Sydney, Melbourne, or Canberra. The city's lower cost of living and strong supply of community and not-for-profit childcare providers have kept fees relatively moderate. However, specific inner suburbs (Norwood, Burnside, Walkerville, Prospect) have seen increasing fees as demand from professional families grows. This guide covers what childcare costs in Adelaide in 2026.
Average Childcare Fees in Adelaide 2026
Long Day Care (inner east: Norwood, Burnside, Kensington): $125-$175/day before CCS
Long Day Care (inner north: Prospect, Collinswood, Vale Park): $110-$155/day before CCS
Long Day Care (outer suburbs: Morphett Vale, Salisbury, Elizabeth): $85-$125/day before CCS
Before and After School Care (per session): $18-$35/session
Family Day Care (per hour): $8-$13/hour
Childcare Subsidy (CCS) in Adelaide
Federal CCS applies in South Australia; maximum 90% subsidy for eligible families
SA Preschool/Kindergarten: SA provides funded preschool for 4-year-olds (and in some circumstances 3-year-olds); funded preschool is available at government preschools (free) and through many approved long day care centres; confirm with your centre whether they deliver the SA funded preschool program
Finding Childcare in Adelaide
Use Child Care Finder (childcare.gov.au) to search Adelaide providers by suburb
Adelaide has a strong community childcare sector (Uniting Communities, Baptist Care SA, Anglicare SA) alongside large national operators; community sector fees are often slightly lower and waitlists may differ
Council-operated childcare centres exist in some Adelaide metropolitan councils (City of Unley, City of Burnside, etc.), these are often highly regarded and competitively priced
This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.
Covering community in Adelaide. This article was generated by AI, under human editorial accountability and risk-based review and our reasonable editorial care. Sensitive material is held for human review before publication. See our reasonable editorial care.
Beta: AI-assisted and human-overseen. Details may be imperfect, so please verify anything important.
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