via cnbc.com A financial site called Magnify Money recently broke down the numbers on the most expensive/least expensive U.S. States to raise a baby.
The factors included the difference in cost between renting a typical one bedroom and two bedroom apartment; the average cost of daycare; the average cost of baby apparel, diapers and wipes; average additional food costs; the average cost of adding a dependent to workplace health insurance; and federal tax credits. It also looked at those factors across the 100 largest metros in the U.S.
Wouldn't you know, Massachusetts placed at the top of the list with a monthly cost of $1,521. The National average they found was $1,037 . That's nearly $800 more than the cheapest state to raise a baby, Arkansas, which has an average monthly cost of $723, the study found. Here is a quick breakdown.
10 Most Expensive States to raise a baby.
1. Massachusetts: $1,521
2. Hawaii: $1,464
3. Washington, D.C.: $1,374
4. California: $1,349
5. Connecticut: $1,327
6. Alaska: $1,314
7. Vermont: $1,311
8. New Hampshire: $1,290
9. New Jersey: $1,243
10. Maryland: $1,238
10 Cheapest States
1. Arkansas: $723
2. Mississippi: $759
3. West Virginia: $814
4. Tennessee: $830
5. Louisiana: $835
6. Alabama: $837
7. Utah: $850
8. South Carolina: $850
9. Kentucky: $870
10. North Dakota: $872