No, it depends on activities and what you choose to do. My boy is expensive.

Boys sports fees and equipment usually outpaces girls.

Boys grocery bills outpaces girls.

Clothes is probably a wash, but kid dependent more than gender (boys prefer fancy brands too; mine just asked for a coach wallet).

Anecdotally, more boys require tutoring. Im not sure the split on therapy.

I dont think youll find an easy answer for one always costing more than the other.

Well car insurance for boys is certainly more expensive.

*and their friends

I have 2 boys and a girl. My boys so far have had expenses such as a travel sport and therapies for a SN. My DD is only 4 so I don’t know yet what expenses to expect. I know from talking to friends that if she gets really into dance it can add up quickly (esp with recital costumes). But then again my boys and their already eat a ton of food in 3rd/5th grade and I imagine it will only go up!

Overall though childcare expenses are the same regardless of gender. We will help them all as best we can with college/wedding/downpayment. We aren’t allocating different amounts for boy vs. girl.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most expensive children are often those with severe special needs, and boys are more likely to have severe special needs.

This. We’ve spent thousands on various therapies and DS isn’t out of elementary yet. 😔

It's even more if you have to provide for the child's care for life.

+2. Agree.

+3. Profound special needs that require care for life are more expensive than anything else and take the largest toll on families and have the largest opportunity cost in terms of foregone family income, more than any expensive activity.

It totally depends on their travel sports.

Agree with others - depends on the kid, not the gender.

The tradition that the bride's parents pay for the wedding is outdated. People do it all different ways.

If you raise them to be high maintenance, its on you.

Anonymous wrote:I read that one child costs $300k to raise, but it seems like girls cost more. I would estimate +$50k. Am I correct?

Depends on the kid, not their gender.

My inlaws said they save $500 a month on food when DH went off to college. They had added it up. And this was over a decade ago.

I have two boys and a girl. My daughter is the youngest. My boys’ sports and extracurricular activities cost much more than my daughter’s. I spend more on my daughter’s clothes because they are pretty. I’m sure one day she may want makeup and skincare products.

It may seem like I, the wife, spend much more than my husband. He will buy a 200k car or a 100k watch. They cost more than my bags or shoes.

I have a 14 yr old girl and a 16 yr old boy. Both are the "traditional" gender types. I spend more on my daughter by far.

That being said, my son requires tutoring and Pvt school which both my kids go because of his learning disabilities. He's also in the past needed therapy but he plays sports at school v my daughter who plays a club sport which costs a lot more. So from that perspective it's a wash.

It adds up no matter what as there's so many variables to their activities, health, educational considerations, personalities. It's just crazy $$$ full stop but yes, as a girl there's considerations for clothing though suits for boys are not cheap lol - jewelry, makeup and hair so beauty overall. Quite honestly that's it. Everything else is more or less equal opportunity expensive I don't think it's +$50k more in other words for my daughter!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weddings, clothes, haircuts, parties, etc. girls are expensive.

Most couples pay for their own weddings, or parents from both sides contribute. My parents and ILs both gave the same amount (a few thousand) to help pay for our wedding.

Boys wear clothes, get haircuts, have and go to parties. People can spend more or less on those things but it's a choice.

I know girls who are very low maintenance, do inexpensive sports or activities, are not into clothes or makeup (or work part-time and spend their own money on those things), etc.

I also know boys who always need the most expensive sneakers and clothes, participate in extremely expensive sports, eat insane amounts of food, etc.

And vice versa.

You cannot generalize by gender. Also my guess is that if you strongly believe that girls cost more than boys, you will spend more on your girls than your boys because you have bought into the belief that this is how it is. But that's your own fault.

I agree with the bolded.

There are a lot of ways to control the clothes spending that to me seems like the main difference.

I knew a little girl who often went to daycare in gorgeous dresses which was so cute but a bit weird. (Keep in mind that a lot of girls' party dresses these days are polyester satin and polyester velvet so can be washed in the washing machine.)

I asked her mother one time about it and the mom said that she was buying them for cheap at children's resale stores. And that her daughter just loved dressing like that.

Close to the end of high school, my kids crossed paths with this girl again. She's on robotics club with my son and dresses in a very typical, not expensive high school girl way. She's outgrown her princess phase. But it was adorable while it lasted.

As the mother of the groom, I paid for half of the wedding. Just saying.