The honest version · 2026
How much does a babysitter cost in Brooklyn?
Short answer: $20–$30 per hour for one child, more if you book through a marketplace. The long answer is everything below — what each channel actually costs once you add the fees nobody tells you about up front.
By channel
The five places Brooklyn parents actually find sitters.
The neighborhood teen
$15–$20/hr
Cheapest. Inconsistent — they have school, sports, the SATs. Fine for the once-in-a-while emergency, not for anything you need to count on.
Care.com / Sittercity (national marketplaces)
$22–$32/hr
Sitter posts $20/hr; you also pay a $40+/month membership fee. Different sitter every time. Background checks are shallow unless you upgrade.
UrbanSitter / Bambino (NYC-focused apps)
$25–$38/hr
Higher base rates than national marketplaces because NYC sitters charge more. Plus per-booking fees (10–15%).
Brooklyn Sitters (us)
$25/hr
Flat $25/hr base. $28/hr for two kids, +$3/hr per additional. No membership, no booking fee, no service charge. Full rate card.
Full-time nanny agency placement
$28–$45/hr
Top tier. You pay the nanny's hourly plus a placement fee ($1,500+) plus payroll taxes plus benefits. For 30+ hours a week of guaranteed coverage, this is the right product.
The math nobody shows you
A real 5-hour Saturday night, three ways.
| Channel | Rate | Fees | 5-hr total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UrbanSitter | $28/hr | +10% booking | ~$154 |
| Care.com | $24/hr | +$40/mo membership | ~$160 (single use) |
| Brooklyn Sitters | $25/hr | none | $125 |
Marketplace rates and fees fluctuate. The bigger point: a posted hourly rate is rarely what you actually pay.
On tipping
Tipping a babysitter in NYC is appreciated but not expected. Common move: round up to a clean number, or add 10–15% on a long evening when bedtime went smoothly. End-of-year cash bonus for recurring sitters is normal.
Whatever you do, no app prompt is going to extract it from you — there's no checkout screen.