Six weeks of a holiday club costs £726 more on average than six weeks of after-school childcare, Coram Family and Childcare said.
Families are facing a typical summer holiday club bill of £1,145 per child, a report has found.
On average, holiday childcare costs across Britain have risen by 5% in the past year, leaving working parents facing an average bill of nearly £191 per child per week.
This equates to around £1,145 for a six-week summer holiday, according to research by the Coram Family and Childcare charity.
The report said: “Parents and carers pay much more for childcare during the holidays than during term time.
“In Great Britain, a week at a holiday club costs over 2.7 times more than an after school club, £191 per week compared to £70.”
In Wales, average prices have surged by 10% annually to reach nearly £224 per week, according to the research.
Holiday club prices were also found to have risen by 16% in inner London and by 12% in the North East.
Bucking the trend, prices in Yorkshire and the Humber fell by 1% typically, the report found.
The holiday childcare survey 2026 is based on surveys from local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, which were returned to Coram Family and Childcare between April and June 2026.
Some 199 local authorities returned data.
This report looked at the costs of childcare and the availability of childcare in Britain for children aged four to 14-years-old.
Lydia Hodges, head of Coram Family and Childcare, said: “Holiday childcare is essential for parents to take and stay in work but, for too many families, the six-week break brings a sharp increase in childcare costs.
“Cost is only part of the challenge. When we asked councils whether there is enough holiday childcare in their area, the most frequent response was that they do not know.
“We heard this answer much more frequently than when we asked the same questions about pre-school childcare for our childcare survey this spring.”
The report also found that a week of holiday childcare with a childminder costs around £251 on average, marking an increase of 7%.
The report looks at costs before the support available to help pay for childcare is taken into account, allowing it to track changes in costs over time and recognising that families can be eligible for different levels of support depending on their circumstances.
Here are the average costs per week of holiday clubs followed by childminders, according to the research:
Britain, £190.77, £251.48
England, £189.71, £250.96
Scotland, £179.95, £239.56
Wales, £223.59, £262.48
East Midlands, £188.18, £219.30
East of England, £190.66, £271.88
Inner London, £217.74, £371.82
Outer London, £190.43, £287.69
North East, £219.76, £253.16
North West, £160.14, £215.42
South East, £226.55, £278.95
South West, £180.30, £205.58
West Midlands, £167.85, £250.25
Yorkshire and the Humber, £189.22, £245.80
