This website provides an interesting tool for comparing the costs of raising a family in different parts of the country. The data can be localized and can be customized by family size. The Economic Policy Institute produced the tool and the underlying numbers to provide a realistic view of what amounts to a living family wage in the United States. Not surprisingly, the numbers are considerably higher than federal poverty level.

Even so, it’s not something people would want to use for a budget, particularly if they live in a high cost area like New York City – $598 a month for food for a family of three, really? The amount allotted for housing for two parents and one child is $1,474. You would be lucky to rent a garage for that in many parts of Brooklyn or Manhattan, let alone a two-bedroom apartment. But the numbers seem pretty accurate on a broad metro level, and weighing overall spending would somewhat equalize city and suburban spending levels.  While many city dwellers pay more than $1,474 for housing, for example, they spend less for transportation than the suburban drivers who push monthly metro transportation costs to $577 for a couple with one child.

People pondering whether they can afford to enlarge their families might use the calculator to compare the ultra-basic living expenses, say, of raising two children vs. one child in the New York metro area.  The difference: $16,124.