Quick answer
For a subsidised normal delivery in a public hospital, food-only confinement, mid-range gear, infant care after an S$1,100 subsidy and S$250 a month of running costs, the estimator gives about S$12,600 for year one. MediSave can pay the whole S$1,350 delivery bill. The cash gift pays S$10,000 in the first year. Your choices move the total most: a private caesarean is about S$15,805, and MediSave pays about S$5,040 of it. The CDA and MediSave grant pay only approved bills.
The useful number: About S$12,600 for year one in the worked example, with every estimate yours to change.
Who is this for?
Parents-to-be who want a realistic budget before the birth, and new parents planning the return to work. The estimate covers the first year: delivery, confinement, gear, care for 8 months and everyday running costs. It leaves out antenatal care, gynae packages and insurance.
How does a typical example add up?
- Delivery: public hospital, subsidised Ward B2, vaginal (MOH median bill S$1,350, all paid from MediSave)
- S$0
- Confinement: food only (estimate)
- S$1,500
- Gear: mid-range (estimate)
- S$4,500
- Infant care: S$1,550 a month less an S$1,100 subsidy, for 8 months
- S$3,600
- Running costs: S$250 a month for 12 months
- S$3,000
- Year one total
- S$12,600
Change one choice and the total moves. A subsidised caesarean is about S$2,582, also within the MediSave Maternity Package. A private delivery is about S$10,815, or S$15,805 by caesarean. MediSave pays up to about S$3,380 or S$5,040 of those for the typical stay. A confinement nanny is about S$4,500 instead of S$1,500 for food. A helper is about S$1,177 a month all in, from the Helper true cost calculator; a family carer allowance is about S$600. The subsidy is the Childcare subsidy calculator’s figure for its example household.
How do you build your own budget?
- Choose your hospital type and delivery type. Ask your hospital for its own estimate and replace ours.
- Choose confinement: none, food only or a nanny.
- Choose your gear level: thrifty, mid or all new.
- Choose care after leave ends: infant care, a helper or family. For infant care, enter the subsidy you expect from the Childcare subsidy calculator.
- Take off only the cash gift. Then check what the CDA and MediSave grant can pay for in the Baby Bonus + CDA maximiser.
Which tool and downloads help?
The First-year baby cost estimator shows the total and each part, and every estimate is editable. For the care line, the Infant and childcare subsidy worksheet helps you check the subsidy. For the support side, the Birth registration, Baby Bonus and CDA steps sheet lists what to claim.
How far can you trust these numbers?
Only the delivery figures come from MOH: its latest published median bills, for Singapore Citizens discharged in 2023 (no newer year is published). Before MediSave and insurance, a subsidised Ward B2 bill was S$1,350 for a vaginal delivery and S$2,582 for a caesarean, checked on 10 October 2026. Your own bill depends on the hospital and stay, so ask your hospital for an estimate, and see each hospital in the Delivery bill estimator. Every other figure is a mid-2026 market estimate.
Only cash comes off the total. LifeSG tops the Cash Gift up to S$10,000 by 30 April 2027. Babies born from 1 April 2027 get a S$10,000 Baby Gift within 12 months. For a first child, another S$15,000 sits in the CDA or MediSave. That is the S$5,000 First Step Grant, up to S$5,000 of matching and the S$5,000 MediSave grant. Matching needs your own deposit, and the cap is S$4,000 until 30 September 2027. The CDA pays approved bills such as infant care fees. The MediSave grant pays baby’s healthcare. Neither pays the grocery bill.
Printables for this guide
Infant and childcare subsidy worksheet
Work out your monthly full-day infant care or childcare fee after ECDA's basic and additional subsidies. The 2026 and 2027 bands are on one page.
Birth registration, Baby Bonus and CDA steps
The steps in order: register the birth on LifeSG within 42 days and enrol in the same flow. Then open the CDA for the First Step Grant and co-matching.
Hospital bag and admission list
The documents Singapore hospitals ask for at admission and for birth registration. Plus a light packing list for mum, baby and partner, for heat and cold wards.
Confinement nanny hiring kit
MOM's Work Permit steps for a Malaysian confinement nanny, interview questions, a duties and hours agreement to sign together, and a handover checklist.
Try it with your numbers
Open it with an example filled in, then change the numbers to yours.
Open first-year baby cost estimator → Try it with an example →Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to give birth in Singapore?
MOH’s latest published median bills (Singapore Citizens discharged in 2023), before MediSave and insurance, were about S$1,350 for a vaginal delivery in a subsidised Ward B2 and S$10,815 in a private hospital. The delivery bill estimator shows each hospital and what MediSave covers.
How much is infant care a month?
The estimator uses an estimated S$1,550 a month before subsidy, and subtracts the subsidy you enter. Your centre’s fee and your ECDA subsidy decide the real figure.
Does the Baby Bonus cover the first year?
Only part of it. S$10,000 of cash arrives in the first year. The CDA and MediSave grant pay only approved bills, so plan the rest from your own income.
What is left out of the estimate?
Antenatal care, gynae packages and insurance. Add them yourself if they apply.
Keep this guide for the next big decision.
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