If Meghan Markle follows in her sister-in-law’s footsteps and has her baby at a luxury suite in a London hospital, it will probably cost less than the typical American birth.
Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is expecting her first child next spring. If she books the same posh private maternity wing that the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton did, it will reportedly cost about 5,900 pounds ($7,700). The suite comes with its own bathroom, refrigerator and a “comprehensive” wine list.
The price tag for all those perks is actually cheaper than the average American birth, which was $10,800 in 2015, according to figures compiled by The Economist and circulated by Statista. That figure doesn’t include care before and after the birth, which pushes the average cost up to roughly $30,000, The Economist reported. The U.S. is the most expensive country in the world to give birth. Insurers covers much of the price and the average out-of-pocket cost is $3,000, according to The Economist.
It’s not yet known where and how Markle plans to give birth. The former actress is known as a supporter of women’s rights. One of the charities that she and Prince Harry asked people to donate to in lieu of wedding gifts works to empower girls in Mumbai, India by giving them low-cost sanitary pads.
Having a baby in the U.K. is cheaper than the U.S., and so is raising that child. A U.K. couple will spend on average of 150,753 pounds ($198,282) from birth to age 18, but American couples shell out about $233,610.
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