How Much a Child Costs in Czechia: Preschool, After-School Care, Lunches and Camps

After-school care: capped at CZK 832 a month

The school after-care club (druzina) works the same way: the founder sets the price and the law caps it at 4% of the minimum wage. Per the MŠMT methodology, that meant at most CZK 832 a month (about EUR 34) for 2025/2026. Many schools charge less than the cap.

Over the ten months of the school year, druzina costs at most CZK 8,320, often less. Given how many afternoon hours it covers, it is usually the cheapest item on the whole list.

School lunches: limits set by decree

Lunch prices are not arbitrary. Canteens charge parents the food cost, and its range is set by the school meals decree. Per an overview by Deník, the limits for school-age children run roughly from CZK 20 to 54 per lunch depending on the child's age. The amended decree effective September 2025 left the limits unchanged, though per Deník some canteens now use the upper bound.

Do the maths: a school year has roughly 190 teaching days. At CZK 35 per lunch that is about CZK 6,650 a year per child. That is our calculation from the decree limits, not an official average; the real amount depends on the canteen.

Hobby clubs: where budgets diverge

Clubs (krouzky) are the biggest variable. Per iROZHLAS, a standard once-a-week club costs roughly CZK 2,000 to 3,000 per semester (EUR 80 to 120). Football runs CZK 1,500 to 3,000 per semester. Some sports play in a different league: tennis lessons can cost up to CZK 20,000 per semester, per iROZHLAS.

For a family with two children and a wider range of activities, the semester bill easily climbs well past CZK 10,000, per iROZHLAS. And two clubs per child is closer to the norm than a luxury these days.

September: the most expensive month of the school year

The start of the school year is a small festival for stationery shops. Per a survey cited by České noviny, parents spend an average of CZK 2,445 per child on school supplies, more for first-graders. Broker Consulting analysts estimate a first-grader's full kit, schoolbag and indoor shoes included, at CZK 5,000 to 10,000.

And that is just supplies. Per Kurzy.cz, half of September spending is clothes and shoes, which is why a fifth of households spend over CZK 5,000 at the start of the school year.

Camps: summer can cost as much as a holiday

School holidays last two months; parents' leave does not. Per e15, a day camp, where the child commutes and sleeps at home, costs roughly CZK 3,000 to 4,000 per week. Non-commercial residential camps, scouts for instance, run CZK 3,000 to 5,000 for two weeks. Commercial residential camps with sport or language programmes cost CZK 5,000 to 12,000, per e15.

Two weeks of camps per summer can therefore easily reach CZK 7,000 to 15,000 per child. Places vanish fast, so much of it is paid as early as spring.

A model year: one schoolchild, real numbers

Let us add up a model year for a primary-school child. The amounts come from the sources above; we picked sober mid-range numbers:

• Lunches: CZK 35 × 190 days = CZK 6,650
• After-school care: CZK 400 × 10 months = CZK 4,000
• Two clubs at CZK 2,500 per semester = CZK 10,000
• September supplies = CZK 2,445
• One day camp + one cheaper residential camp = CZK 9,500

Total: roughly CZK 32,600 a year, about EUR 1,330, and that is only the school life of one child. Food at home, clothes, transport, a phone and health are all extra. Spread across twelve months, it is about CZK 2,700 a month.

How to spread it across the family budget

The problem with these costs is not their size but their lumpiness. September and July are expensive, November almost free. There is one solution that works: budget the year in advance.

1. Add up your own annual bill. Go through last school year's payments; treat the figures above only as a guide.
2. Divide by twelve and set it aside. In the model example, CZK 2,700 a month into a separate account that pays for preschool, clubs and camps.
3. Plan the peaks ahead. Camps are paid in spring, the school kit in August. Saving for them from autumn turns a shock into a routine transfer.

If you do not know what your child actually costs you, there is no need to count by hand. Upload one bank statement to VESTELON FLOW and see your own numbers: which payments for care and clubs recur, which are one-off peaks, and what monthly amount would cover the whole year. Where the rest of the family budget goes is covered in Where the Money Goes in Czechia.

FAQ

How much does a child in Czechia cost in total? Per economist Lukáš Kovanda (Hrot24), raising a child from birth to 18 cost roughly CZK 1.8 million in 2022 and, after recent years' inflation, corresponds to about CZK 2.35 million today, around EUR 96,000. That averages just under CZK 11,000 a month, though reality varies by region and lifestyle.

Where can you save first? Camps and clubs, because they are optional and prices vary enormously. Non-commercial troops, scouts or municipal youth centres offer programmes at a fraction of commercial course prices. After-school care and school lunches, by contrast, are cheap; economising there makes little sense.

Does the state help low-income families? Yes. Per MŠMT, preschool and after-care fees can be reduced or waived for recipients of the state social support benefit, and per Finance.cz, parents can apply at the labour office for one-off emergency aid towards school supplies. For the same bill on the other side of the border, see our Slovak overview.