The cost of having a baby in Singapore has no official average, but the big lines are predictable: pregnancy and delivery bills, much of which MediSave can pay; gear, diapers and formula; and, for working parents, infant care. Our illustrative first year comes to about S$14,000 before government cash support.
Against that, the government pays significant support, and the rules are changing. Children born from 1 April 2027 come under the new SG Child Support Package; children born earlier stay on the Baby Bonus until then and move across automatically. This guide covers both.
The short version: Use MediSave for delivery where you can, budget about $1,200 a month for the first year if you use infant care, and plan around the cash and CDA support rather than counting it as spending money.
Pregnancy and Delivery: What MediSave Covers
CPF Board sets out the MediSave Maternity Package limits:
| Item | MediSave limit |
|---|---|
| Pre-delivery medical expenses (check-ups, scans, tests) | Up to $900 |
| Delivery procedure, normal vaginal delivery | Up to $1,120 |
| Delivery procedure, assisted vaginal delivery | Up to $1,390 |
| Delivery procedure, caesarean section | Up to $2,380 to $2,770, depending on the procedure |
| Hospital stay, first two days | Up to $1,130 a day |
| Hospital stay, each later day | Up to $400 a day |
As stated by CPF Board at the time of writing (November 2026); the daily limits match its page on using MediSave for hospitalisation. Pre-delivery expenses can be paid from your own or your spouse’s MediSave. Ask your hospital how the limits apply to your bill, as they are revised from time to time. MediShield Life does not cover most maternity charges, as our health insurance guide notes.
An illustrative delivery bill. A normal delivery with a two-night stay costing $6,000 in total ($2,500 for the delivery procedure and $3,500 in hospital charges), with $800 of check-ups before it. Our own assumptions; actual bills vary widely by hospital and ward. If MediSave pays the $800 of check-ups, up to $1,120 for the delivery and up to $2,260 for the two days ($1,130 a day), that is $4,180, and the couple pay about $2,620 in cash. A longer stay, complications or a private hospital would raise this.
The baby also gets a $5,000 Medisave Grant for Newborns at birth, which Made For Families lists among the benefits that continue under the new package. Our guide to what MediSave can be used for covers the rules.
The Cost of Having a Baby in Singapore: An Illustrative First Year
Our own figures for an illustrative couple who both return to work and use infant care from month four.
| Line | Assumption | First-year cost |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery and check-ups, after MediSave | As above | $2,620 |
| Cot, pram, car seat and other gear | Mix of new and hand-me-down | $2,000 |
| Diapers and formula | $150 a month | $1,800 |
| Clothes, toiletries and bottles | $650 | |
| Doctor visits and medicine | $500 | |
| Infant care, 8 months | $1,400 fee less $600 basic subsidy = $800 a month | $6,400 |
| Total | about $14,000 |
Illustration only. Infant care is the largest line; the $600 Basic Subsidy applies to Singapore Citizen children in full-day infant care when the main applicant works at least 56 hours a month, and working families with a household income of $12,000 or less (rising to $15,000 from January 2027) can get an Additional Subsidy, according to ECDA. See our guide to infant care and childcare subsidies.
The Support You Get, Before and After April 2027
Children born on or after 14 February 2023 and before 1 April 2027 are on the Baby Bonus Scheme, according to LifeSG. A first or second child receives an $11,000 Baby Bonus Cash Gift, a $5,000 CDA First Step Grant and co-matching of up to $4,000 (first child) or $7,000 (second child). These children move to the new package automatically from April 2027.
Children born on or after 1 April 2027 come under the SG Child Support Package:
| Benefit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Baby Gift (cash, two tranches within 12 months of birth) | $10,000 |
| Child Credits (cash, ages 1 to 16) | $2,000 a year |
| CDA First Step Grant | $5,000 |
| CDA co-matching | Up to $5,000 |
| PSEA top-up at age 17 | $10,000 |
For our illustrative first year, the $10,000 Baby Gift and $5,000 First Step Grant (which can pay infant care and medical bills at approved institutions) would more than offset the $14,000. Our news story on the SG Child Support Package explains the transition rules, and our CDA guide shows how to make the most of co-matching.
Leave: The Cost Nobody Budgets For
Time off is part of the cost, and the government pays much of it. According to MOM:
- Government-Paid Maternity Leave: 16 weeks for eligible working mothers of Singapore Citizen children.
- Government-Paid Paternity Leave: 4 weeks for children born on or after 1 April 2025.
- Shared Parental Leave: 10 weeks to share between parents for children born from 1 April 2026, taken within 12 months of the birth.
Government reimbursement is capped, for example at $2,500 a week for paternity and shared parental leave, so higher earners should check with their employer how pay is handled. Childcare leave is also changing; see our childcare leave news.
What To Do Next
- Ask your hospital for an estimate and how MediSave will apply before you choose a ward.
- Build a first-year budget with our budget planner, with infant care as its own line.
- Enrol your child in the Baby Bonus Scheme or the new package at birth registration on LifeSG, and check which bank account the payouts will go to.
- Check the tax reliefs you can claim in our guide to child tax reliefs.
