In case you were wondering, we now know if it costs more money to raise a girl or boy

It’s no secret that raising children can be a financial strain. They’re needy little humans who grow out of their clothes and toys at a rapid speed! But apparently, the cost is more pronounced for some than others. MoneyTips recently made an Infographic that asks the spectacular question, “Which gender is more expensive to raise?” and breaks down food costs per child, school supplies, extra-curricular activities, clothes, and transportation — using data collected from parents around the country. The results of the small survey — 461 parents responded — are very interesting, indeed.

First off, it’s important to note that parents overwhelmingly thought raising a girl was more expensive. 60% of those surveyed leaned this direction, while about 30% thought it was equal and only 8.8% thought boys were pricier to raise. It turns out, in some categories, these guesses were right on!

Some costs averaged out to be the same for boys and girls, such as food, extra-curricular activities and entertainment, and transportation. However, in two of the five categories, parents admitted that they spend more money on girls than boys: clothing and toiletries, and school supplies. So, okay, we like to have a bathroom routine and make bold fashion statements every now and then! And we like the feel of brand new school notebooks, pens, pencils, and colored markers!  Those things don’t sound too terrible, but might actually raise some interesting questions about the emphasis — and expense — placed on girls’ appearance over boys’, even at an early age.

But they do sway the survey in one (undeniable) direction: MoneyTips estimates that parents do spend more money each month on their daughters over their sons. $80 more, to be exact. While that comes out to less than one thousand per year, it’s still a substantial figure (especially if you calculate how much that is for the eighteen years that daughters are usually living at home with their parents!) Anyway, thanks to MoneyTips for enlightening us about our monthly costs, and check out the full results here.