Bringing a baby into this world is one of the greatest joys, but there’s a lot of strain put on your wallet when a bundle of joy arrives.
One-time purchases such as a crib and a stroller to the ongoing costs of diapers and formula add up, and sometimes couples find themselves exceeding the planned expenses. Even before the baby arrives, there are expenses that go into the birthing process.
According to the International Federation of Health Plans, out of the whole world, Americans pay the highest birthing costs. A normal delivery averages $10,808 in the U.S., while a C-section adds $5,298 to that price. Someone without maternity health coverage, including Medicaid, could experience that total to be double or triple.
In their latest study, WalletHub compared the expenses of having a baby state to state. The personal finance website’s 2017’s Best & Worst States to Have a Baby has Florida ranked as the seventh worst state to have a baby.
For this study WalletHub, analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine the best place in the U.S. for parents and their newborns. Analysts used 20 key metrics of cost, health care accessibility and baby-friendliness.
On a scale of one being the best and 51 being the worst, Florida ranked 47th in the ‘cost’ ranking, 44th in ‘health care,’ 17th in ‘baby-friendliness,’ and 40th in family-friendliness.’
Looking at the results even further, Florida is second for highest hospital cesarean-delivery charges and highest hospital conventional-delivery charges.
The best state to have a baby in is Vermont, and the worst state is Mississippi.
While Florida is one of the top states to retire in, it seems bringing and raising a baby in the state is a tad bit expensive.