What's funny is that I can't tell whether you think $300K is high or low, and to me the number sounds about right.

That said, I'll throw in my two cents here because it's as good a place as any. Though I have internal conflict on the whole issue of having children, I have to say that treating them as a means of investment for old age care has two issues - one, it seems kind of like a dick move to them, and two, it's far from guaranteed; they could have their own ideas.

300K would barely cover the cost of an extra bedroom per child. Let alone the fact that some places around the world require one to send their child to private school, fund university costs etc.

The average home price in the USA is about 300k so clearly this is wildly overstated.

Yes some parents would rather send thier kids to a private school and to be frank, we do, but that is a choice not a requirement.

I don't know any place where the only option for schooling is an expensive private school.

Saying that kids are not financial worth it, then constantly moving the goal posts to create a strawman to justify it is a waste of people's time.

If someone wants to argue that kids with special needs who require private schooling and a fully detached house in Palo Alto are expensive and a stretch to financially justify that is one thing but let's get a clear play field so that the goal posts are not constantly in flux.

We are on HN, and the average US home price will not get you very far in NY, London, SF etc. If you want a decent academic environment (which again, I would assume most HN people would require, unlike non-HN US average), it seems like you pretty much have to go private in those cities.

And yet somehow humans got on before all that. I know a few people who have kids and I can guarantee they aren't spending near that much because they don't have that much.

That or something close to it is what comes up if you search average cost to raise a child. So clearly some popular opinion holds this to be true. If you would like to offer some other number you feel you can defend, I'll be happy to talk about it some more. Let's say you come up with a number like 500k. That will not last you a year at a luxury assisted living facility.

Forgoing children is no guarantee of a luxury lifestyle nor grant you a luxury stay during your twilight years.