The short answer
One child in most of Brooklyn: $22–28/hr. One child in Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, or Williamsburg: $28–35/hr. Two kids: add $3–5/hr. Infants (under 1): some sitters add a premium of $3–5/hr; others don't. Brooklyn Sitters doesn't — same $25/hr for one child regardless of age. Travel surcharge: $5–25 depending on distance from the sitter's base. Minimum booking at most services: 2 to 3 hours.
What drives the range
Three things: neighborhood, sitter experience, and booking channel. Wealthier brownstone neighborhoods pay more because sitters can charge more. Experienced sitters (5+ years, references, real regular clients) charge 20–40% over new sitters. Going through an agency (Care.com, Sittercity, UrbanSitter) adds platform markup — you're paying for the matching service, not the sitter. Booking direct with a local operator like us cuts the markup but means fewer backup options.
What a typical Brooklyn evening actually costs
Realistic scenario: 4-hour Saturday-night date in Midwood with two kids. At our rate, $28/hr × 4 = $112, plus $5 travel surcharge = $117 total. Same scenario in Williamsburg: $28/hr × 4 = $112, plus $25 premium-tier travel = $137. Same in your friend-of-a-friend's cash-only teenager: probably $15/hr × 4 = $60, no references, no SLA. The spread is the value of the service, not the spread of the work.
When to pay more than baseline
Three situations actually warrant a premium rate. Infants with medical considerations (premature, feeding-schedule complexities, reflux) — hire a certified NCS, not a general sitter. Special-needs care requiring specific certifications — hire a specialist. Multi-hour late-night (past midnight) where you need someone rock-steady at 2 AM — rare, but worth a small premium for the right person. For a standard date-night or after-school, the baseline rate is fair; the premium is a markup someone hopes you won't question.
Compared to Manhattan
Manhattan runs 15–30% higher across the board. A $25/hr Brooklyn sitter is often $32–40/hr in the same role in Manhattan. The cost difference is mostly cost of living on the sitter side, not quality. If you live in Brooklyn but have previously hired in Manhattan, expect the number to drop. If you just moved from Manhattan, the Brooklyn quote probably looks like a deal.
Common questions
Is $25 an hour a lot for a babysitter in Brooklyn?
It's the current median for experienced sitters in most of South Brooklyn. New/inexperienced sitters charge less ($15–20/hr); high-end agency sitters charge more ($30–40/hr). $25 lands in the reasonable middle for someone with real references.
Why are rates higher in Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope?
Demand exceeds supply. More families with two working parents in those neighborhoods; more competition for sitters. Rates follow the market. If you're hiring from outside those neighborhoods, expect to cover travel.
Do you charge a travel fee?
Yes — a flat surcharge per session based on distance from our Bergen Beach / Mill Basin base. Ranges from $0 (adjacent blocks) to $25 (Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights). Transparent on every booking; check your area's page for the exact number.
Do you have a minimum booking?
Yes, 2 hours. Shorter sessions aren't cost-effective on either side — we lose more to travel time than we make on the hourly.
Are agency babysitters more expensive than independent ones?
Usually, yes — marketplaces and agencies add 15–30% markup. Brooklyn Sitters is closer to independent pricing because we're two people direct-booking, not an agency reselling a roster.