This really does depend where you live; we paid €250/month for daycare for our child from the age of 1 upwards.

Even having a baby is very expensive in the USA, in terms of costs for the delivery, and the very very short maternity leave available to the majority of women. By contrast we had almost a year of paid leave, and paid something like €250 for a birth - which was mostly based around the cost of the room we had for a week after the delivery.

We're at $1800/month for an infant and toddler in daycare. Wife and I both work. Thankfully the company I work for has an HSA for childcare.

Expanding low cost or free daycare is probably the best way that the state can incentivize people having children. I've also read that it serves as an effective anti-poverty measure as well.

$1000/mo per child plus needing to spend at least half a million in the desirable parts of the USA for a house are the real reasons.

Got shipped because IMO this is just a bit too much money to spend.