CHILDCARE fees in Canberra continue to be the highest in the country, a new report has found.

The Productivity Commission’s report on government services, released recently, found Canberra is the most-expensive place in the country to send kids to childcare, with a median-weekly cost of $610, for 50 hours of centre-based care at a government-approved service.

That means Canberrans are paying about $70 above the national average.

In the last five years, childcare fees in Canberra have risen by about $25 a week, the data shows.

Fees drops slightly for family day care, with the median rate sitting at $582 a week in the ACT.

In NSW, families are paying around $550 a week for 50 hours of centre-based care at a government-approved service.