---
title: "Timeline photos What is the cost of the Minimum Viable Child?  In…"
date: 2016-02-10
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships added a new photo.
---

# Timeline photos What is the cost of the Minimum Viable Child?  In…

*February 10, 2016 · Facebook*

::::: {}
::: {}
![](img/2016-02-10-fb-002-img01.webp){style="max-width:100%; margin:1em 0"}
:::

::: {}
What is the cost of the Minimum Viable Child? In other words, if I was to outsource everything to raise a health biological child to adulthood (save sperm donation), how much would it cost?\
\
TL;DR: Assuming that the child was raised in the Philippines, about 150 K/child.\
\
Here\'s the spreadsheet I used to make my calculations:\
\
[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vQxJqEJtN_2h8Zd-uky9HxCoGVZ81rQCdwwH7qTwymE/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vQxJqEJtN_2h8Zd-uky9HxCoGVZ81rQCdwwH7qTwymE/edit?usp=sharing){target="_blank"}\
\
Sources for numbers below:\
\
[https://childfreefilipina.wordpress.com/2015/07/18/the-cost-of-raising-children-in-the-philippines/](https://childfreefilipina.wordpress.com/2015/07/18/the-cost-of-raising-children-in-the-philippines/){target="_blank"}\
\
[http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/12/the-hidden-costs-of-international-surrogacy/382757/](http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/12/the-hidden-costs-of-international-surrogacy/382757/){target="_blank"}\
\
\"Meanwhile, the price tag for surrogacy in India is regularly cited as under \$30,000. Surrogates are reportedly paid \$800-\$8,000, and clinics and staff pocket the rest. Victoria International IVF Center in India, for example, cites a 2-cycle deal: If the first embryo doesn't take, the second embryo is implanted at discounted cost. It\'s \$11,000 the first round, and only \$5,000 the second round. These costs vary depending on whether the intended mother is using her own eggs or a donor's eggs, and whether the couple uses the same surrogate for the second attempt or chooses a new one.\"\
\
Fulltime nannies cost about 200/month in the Philippines at the high end. Therefore, I figure I could place a child in an existing family for roughly that amount. 200 \* 12 \* 16 = \~40,000\
\
[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091210185940AAYjQKz](https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091210185940AAYjQKz){target="_blank"}\
\
Figure another 10 K for regulatory and legal costs.
:::
:::::