For those who are considering starting a family, it's always important to consider how much money it costs to raise a child. Those costs don't get any cheaper, especially in an area that includes Houston, The Woodlands, and Sugar Land, where annual costs of raising just one child can add up to more than $21,000 every year.

That's according to a new annual report by SmartAsset that examined the costs of childcare across 50 of the biggest metropolitan areas in America.

Despite the seemingly high annual price tag, raising a child in Houston is actually much more affordable than in most other U.S. metros. The city appeared at No. 13 on the list for the lowest yearly childrearing costs out of all 50 cities in the report.

This is how the study breaks down the annual cost of raising a child in Houston:

• $10,006 for childcare
• $2,623 for additional housing

Houston parents can rejoice that their annual childcare costs are lower than the national average of $25,181 per year. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts is the U.S. metro area with the No. 1 highest annual costs for raising a child – at $37,758 – far higher than the national average.

"Understanding the costs associated with raising a child is essential, not only for personal financial planning but also for shaping public policies that support family well-being," the report's author wrote. "But the costs for childcare, additional housing, food, medical necessities, and other expenses vary widely, with the total price tag adding up much higher in some places."

Childcare costs around Texas
Unsurprisingly, Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown leads as the most expensive metro area in Texas for raising a child, with annual costs adding up to $22,406. The report doesn't go as in depth to explain how it came up with that amount, but it does specify that childcare costs are $10,247 per year, with $3,485 dedicated to "additional housing."

Annual childcare costs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington came out to $21,926, and San Antonio-New Braunfels' childcare costs were slightly less expensive, at $21,014 yearly.

To determine the rankings, SmartAsset compared the annual costs of a household with two working adults and one child to the annual costs of a childless household with two working adults. The MIT Living Wage Calculator was used to determine the cost of each city's medical expenses, transportation, food, and more. Notably, costs for schooling were not specified.