From the Second Child On, a Nanny Beats Daycare on Price
In Bern and Basel-City, a legally employed nanny for two children already costs less per month than two full-time daycare places, and since Bern's daycare fees rose again on August 1, 2026, the gap is even wider. For a single child, daycare stays cheaper everywhere, no exceptions. The tipping point sits at the second child, and hardly any family knows it.
Summary
In Bern and Basel-City, a legally employed nanny for two children already costs less than two full-time daycare places: in Bern 14 to 21% less (CHF 5,015 versus CHF 5,800 to 6,340 per month), in Basel 17 to 28% less (CHF 5,021 versus CHF 6,068 to 7,018). The reason is as simple as it is underrated: a nanny's wage stays the same whether she cares for one child or three, while every additional daycare place is paid for in full. From the second child on, the two lines cross, the tipping point this study is named after.
We compute this with Clino's payroll calculator, against the cities' own official daycare tariffs (Bern, Basel) and the wage families are actually paying today: CHF 25.00 per hour, the median of 750 nanny listings on babysitting24.ch in Zurich, Bern and Basel-City. The nanny figure covers the full employer cost, AHV/IV/EO, unemployment insurance, accident insurance, family allowances and BVG pension, exactly as a legal private-household employment requires. And since August 1, 2026, Bern's daycare tariffs have been higher again, widening the nanny's advantage from 9–16% to 14–21%.
This study holds itself to a hard limit: for a single child, daycare stays cheaper everywhere, in every city and scenario tested, no exceptions. And Zurich is deliberately absent from the headline: the city grades the parent contribution by income between CHF 12 and 120 per day and does not split by age, so the day-count convention alone decides which option wins. We show the numbers anyway, openly labeled and transparent. This study is non-partisan, computed with Clino's real payroll engine, and fully disclosed in methodology and sources.
The Tipping Point in 
Bern
In Bern, the median advertised nanny wage is CHF 24 per hour (n=250 listings on babysitting24.ch); at the study's CHF 25 anchor, a legally employed nanny costs CHF 5,015 a month, social contributions and admin included, regardless of whether she cares for one child or three. Two full-time daycare places cost, depending on the age mix, CHF 5,800 (two toddlers) to CHF 6,340 (one infant, one toddler), 14 to 21% more than the nanny.
Kita = the city's toddler full-price tariff (in force since 01.08.2026) x number of children. Nanny = Clino payroll engine, CHF25/h market-wage anchor (n=750, babysitting24.ch), total employer cost. The 3-child value is Clino's own extrapolation (3x the official single-child tariff), not separately verified.
Two daycare places in Bern
- •CHF 5,800/month for two toddlers, at the full-price tariff
- •CHF 6,340/month for one infant and one toddler
- •The higher tariff has applied since 01.08.2026
- •An institutional place, not a personal contract with one carer
Legally employed nanny in Bern (from CHF 5,015/month)
- •14 to 21% cheaper than two daycare places, already today
- •AHV/IV/EO, unemployment insurance, accident cover and BVG from the first franc
- •Computed with Clino's payroll calculator, CHF25/h market anchor
- •Doesn't cover 24 hours alone: working- and rest-time rules apply to a nanny too
And the gap has widened: since August 1, 2026 the toddler day rate has risen from CHF 138 to 145 (+5%), the infant rate from CHF 160 to 172 (+7.5%). For two children, the nanny's advantage has grown from 9–16% to 14 to 21%.
| Scenario (2 children) | Kita/month | Nanny/month | Nanny cheaper by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2x toddler (until 31.07.2026) | CHF 5,520 | CHF 5,015 | 9% |
| Infant + toddler (until 31.07.2026) | CHF 5,960 | CHF 5,015 | 16% |
| 2x toddler (from 01.08.2026) | CHF 5,800 | CHF 5,015 | 14% |
| Infant + toddler (from 01.08.2026) | CHF 6,340 | CHF 5,015 | 21% |
Bern: gross tariff, official monthly total per the city of Bern (20 care days/month, the city's own convention). Nanny: Clino payroll engine, CHF25/h anchor. Since 01.08.2026 the age band has also shifted: children aged 12-18 months now fall into the pricier infant band.
The Tipping Point in 
Basel
In Basel-City, the median advertised wage is also CHF 25 per hour (n=250); a legally employed nanny costs CHF 5,021 a month. Two full-time daycare places cost CHF 6,068 (two children over 18 months) to CHF 7,018 (one under, one over 18 months), 17 to 28% more than the nanny, the widest gap in the whole study.
Kita = the city's toddler full-price tariff x number of children. Nanny = Clino payroll engine, CHF25/h market-wage anchor (n=750, babysitting24.ch), total employer cost. The 3-child value is Clino's own extrapolation (3x the official single-child tariff), not separately verified.
Two daycare places in Basel-City
- •CHF 6,068/month for two children over 18 months
- •CHF 7,018/month for one under, one over 18 months
- •Official maximum price, regardless of the family's income
- •Fixed opening hours, no flexible care arrangement
Legally employed nanny in Basel (from CHF 5,021/month)
- •17 to 28% cheaper than two daycare places
- •Wage floor: the cantonal minimum wage (CHF 22.20/h) for pure childcare; the federal NAV Hauswirtschaft (CHF 20.35/h) from 5 h/week if the nanny also does housework; the market wage is above both
- •Computed with Clino's payroll calculator, CHF25/h market anchor
- •Flexible on hours, one steady contract with one person
Updated on 21.10.2026
The Basel-City Office of Economy and Labour (AWA) confirmed to Clino in October 2026: a nanny who only looks after the children is owed the cantonal minimum wage of CHF 22.20 an hour. If she also does housework, the NAV Hauswirtschaft applies from an average of 5 hours a week, at CHF 20.35. Until then this study described the question as open. The cost calculation does not change.
One Child: Daycare Always Wins
The math does not flip at every family size. For a single child, daycare stays cheaper in Bern, Basel and even in Zurich's uncertain case than a nanny, no exceptions. That is a deliberate limit of this study, not an edge case: the math only changes with the second child. What counts besides the price, such as when the family becomes an employer, is covered in our daycare, nanny and childminder comparison.
BernBasel
Zurich| City · scenario | Kita/month | Nanny/month | Kita cheaper by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bern · toddler | CHF 2,900 | CHF 5,015 | 42% |
| Bern · infant | CHF 3,440 | CHF 5,015 | 31% |
| Basel · over 18 months | CHF 3,034 | CHF 5,021 | 40% |
| Basel · under 18 months | CHF 3,984 | CHF 5,021 | 21% |
| Zurich · full price (transparency panel) | CHF 2,400 | CHF 4,993 | 52% |
Kita = official full-price tariff for one place, Nanny = Clino payroll engine, CHF25/h anchor. For a single child, the Kita is cheaper than a nanny in every city and every scenario tested, without exception: the tipping point only arrives with the second child.
Why Zurich Doesn't Count Yet
Zurich is deliberately missing from the headlines above. Not because the data is missing, but because too many defensible assumptions change the answer: the city grades the parent contribution by income between CHF 12 and 120 per day and, unlike Bern and Basel, does not split by age. We show the math anyway, openly as a transparency panel.
Zurich| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Parent-contribution range (0-100% subsidy) | CHF 12–120/day |
| 2 children, full price, 20-day convention (like Bern/Basel) | CHF 4,800 |
| 2 children, full price, 21.67-day convention (calendar average) | CHF 5,200 |
| Nanny, 2 children (CHF25/h anchor, for comparison) | CHF 4,993 |
Zurich grades the parent contribution by income between CHF12 and CHF120 per day (Beitragsfaktor 0-100%), a 10x range, and unlike Bern and Basel does not split by age. Even at the full price (CHF120/day), the day-count convention chosen decides which side comes out cheaper for 2 children: under the city's own 20-day rule (the same logic Bern and Basel state), the Kita sits slightly below the nanny; under a generic 21.67-day calendar average, slightly above. That is why Zurich stays a worked example here, not a headline claim.
Numbers to Quote
Five print-ready sentences for coverage, each with its source in parentheses.
Why a Payroll Platform Publishes This Math
Clino prepares nanny and care employment in private households across all 26 cantons: a written contract, social-security registration with the cantonal compensation office from the first franc, guidance on the accident insurance, BVG pension where owed, monthly payslips and a salary certificate, for CHF 19.90 a month. The tipping point in this study is not a theoretical argument, it is a calculation any family with two or more children can run themselves in a few minutes, with no hidden costs.
From the second child on, the question is no longer whether a legal nanny costs more than daycare, but why so few families know it's the other way around.
Surprising Findings
Basel's minimum wage and the nanny: it depends on the housework
Many assume a Basel nanny always falls under the cantonal minimum wage of CHF 22.20 an hour. That holds for a nanny who only looks after the children. But the minimum wage act exempts anyone subject to a standard employment contract with minimum wages, and that is the federal NAV Hauswirtschaft as soon as the nanny also cooks, does the laundry or cleans and works an average of at least 5 hours a week for the same family. The NAV floor of CHF 20.35 then applies. The Basel-City Office of Economy and Labour, the control office for the cantonal minimum wage, confirmed this to Clino in October 2026, adding that in its experience most nannies also do housework. For this study's maths it makes no difference: at CHF 25 the market wage is above both.
Bern's price jump isn't a flat hike, it's a shifted age boundary
Since August 1, 2026, Bern's daycare tariff for a child between 12 and 18 months has jumped from CHF 138 to 172 a day, a 24.6% leap. The reason isn't pure inflation: the city moved the boundary between the infant and toddler tariff from 12 to 18 months. Children in that window fall into the pricier band for the first time, while the flat increase within each age band is only 5 to 7.5%.
With one child, daycare wins everywhere, no exceptions
As sharp as the tipping point is from two children on, the limit for a single child is just as clear: in Bern, Basel and even Zurich's uncertain case, daycare stays cheaper than a nanny, in every scenario tested. This study shows that limit on purpose, not just the headline: it makes the math more credible, not weaker.
Sources
- City of Bern: daycare tariffs, schedule in force since 01.08.2026 and previous schedule (2026), Official gross tariffs and monthly totals, bern.ch
- Canton of Basel-City: daycare fees (2026), Official monthly maximum prices, bs.ch
- City of Zurich: care-cost calculation examples (2026), Parent-contribution formula CHF12–120/day, stadt-zuerich.ch
- babysitting24.ch: nanny listings, Zurich, Bern, Basel-City (2026), Median hourly wage n=750, collected 24.07.2026
- Canton of Basel-City: Minimum Wage Act (MiLoG) SG 812.200, § 2 para. 2 lit. h (2026), Exempts anyone subject to a standard employment contract carrying minimum wages; for domestic staff that is the federal NAV Hauswirtschaft
- Basel-City Office of Economy and Labour (AWA), minimum wage control office: information to Clino (2026), October 2026: pure childcare is outside the NAV Hauswirtschaft, so the cantonal minimum wage applies; with housework the NAV applies from 5 h/week
- Compensation office: Merkblatt 2.06, standard employment contract for domestic work (2026), Federal benchmark CHF 20.35/h, ahv-iv.ch
- Clino: payroll calculator (2026), Employer cost for a legally employed nanny, ordinary procedure
Cite
Clino (2026). From the Second Child On, a Nanny Beats Daycare on Price — Clino study, July 2026 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23143722
Study (PDF) and data permanently archived on Zenodo, CC BY 4.0.
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About Clino
Clino is a Swiss SaaS platform enabling households to legally employ domestic workers: payroll, contract and AHV registration; Clino guides the household, insurance stays with the household. CHF 19.90/month. All 26 cantons. Founded 2026 in Zurich. clino.ch
