Summer Camp Cost: Day Camp vs Overnight, With a Budget Planner

What It Means

Summer camp cost is what a family pays to send a child to camp during the school break, either a day camp the child comes home from each evening or an overnight (resident) camp. Overnight camp costs more because it provides care around the clock. In the American Camp Association's Summer 2022 survey, most day camps charged between $1 and $100 a day per camper, and overnight camps were more likely to charge over $100 a day.

Try It: Plan a Summer of Camp

Example numbers for one child. Put in the weekly fees from the camps you're considering.

Weeks of day campDay camp fee per week ($)Weeks of overnight campOvernight camp fee per week ($)

Months until camp starts

Summer total$2,700

Set aside each month$450

Day camp part$1,800

The bar is the day camp share. IRS Publication 503 says day camp may count toward the child and dependent care credit and overnight camp doesn't.

How People Say It at Work

"Camp sign-ups open soon, so let's budget now."
"Day camp covers the weeks we're both working."
"Sleepaway camp is two weeks this year."

The Breakdown

Dated ranges from the American Camp Association

ACA source	Day camp	Overnight (resident) camp
Summer 2022 pulse survey, daily fee per camper	Most reported $1 to $100 a day	More likely to report over $100 a day
2018 Business Operations Report, weekly tuition averages	$199 to $800 or more a week	$630 to $2,000 or more a week

The 2018 figures are older, so treat them as a sense of the spread and check current fees with each camp.

Worked example. One child, six weeks of day camp at $300 a week and one week of overnight camp at $900 (example numbers):

Line	Amount
Day camp, 6 × $300	$1,800
Overnight camp, 1 × $900	$900
Summer total	$2,700
Set aside each month, 6 months ahead	$450

What moves the number. Day or overnight makes the largest difference in the ACA figures above, because overnight camp covers nights as well as days. After that, the number of weeks, whether the camp specializes in something like sports, arts or computers, where you live and any financial aid the camp offers all move the total.

Good to Know

Camp can affect your taxes. IRS Publication 503 (2025) says the cost of day camp may count as a work-related expense for the child and dependent care credit, even if the camp specializes in an activity such as soccer or computers. Overnight camp doesn't count, and neither do summer school or tutoring. The expense also has to let you (and your spouse, if filing jointly) work or look for work. Check Publication 503 or ask a tax professional before you claim anything.

FAQ

How much does summer camp cost per week?

In the American Camp Association's 2018 Business Operations Report, day camp tuition averages ran from $199 to $800 or more a week and resident camp from $630 to $2,000 or more. Its Summer 2022 survey found most day camps charging $1 to $100 a day, so check each camp's current fee.

Does summer camp count for the child and dependent care credit?

Day camp may, according to IRS Publication 503, even if it focuses on one activity. Overnight camp doesn't count, and the cost has to let you work or look for work.

How can I make summer camp more affordable?

Ask each camp about financial aid or scholarships before you rule it out, and mix a few weeks of camp with other care. Setting aside a fixed amount each month from winter onward spreads the cost.

Do It in Buhata

Budget and Goals

Set up a Goal in Buhata for the summer's camp total and put the monthly amount toward it in Budget, so you can see how close you are before registration day.

Open Buhata

Related Terms and Categories

Summer schedule
A family's plan for the school break: steady wake and bed times, blocks for camp, play and chores, and a slow shift back before school starts.
Daycare cost
What families pay a child care center or home daycare, which Care.com's 2026 Cost of Care Report puts at $332 a week on average.
After-school program cost
What a family pays for care and activities in the hours after the school day ends, charged by the week, the month or the day.
Dependent care FSA
A workplace account that lets you pay for a child's or dependent's care with pretax pay so you can work; the 2026 limit is $7,500, or $3,750 married filing separately.
Sinking fund
Money set aside in small, regular amounts for a known future cost, so the bill doesn't land on a single paycheck.
Summer bucket list
A family's list of things to do together over the summer break, written at the start and ticked off as the weeks go by.

Pay, rates and costs

Sources

American Camp Association, "Key Takeaways from Pulse Survey: Summer 2022 Trends and Issues"; American Camp Association, "Camp Trends: Tuition"; IRS, Publication 503 (2025), "Child and Dependent Care Expenses"

Last updated September 30, 2026.