Wij vergelijken niet zozeer de uurprijs als wel de beschikbare opvangdag.

It is a fixed Dutch contrast pattern meaning:

• not so much X as Y
• rather Y than X

So the sentence structure is not just ordinary negation. It sets up a contrast between two things, where the second one is the real focus.

A very close English pattern is:

• We compare not so much the hourly rate as the available childcare day.

This construction is a bit more formal or polished than a simple not X but Y.

No. In this sentence, wel does not mean well, and it does not mean also/as well.

Here, wel is part of the fixed expression niet zozeer ... als wel .... Its job is to strengthen the second part of the contrast.

So in this pattern:

• niet zozeer X als wel Y

the wel helps signal: Y is the more important/relevant thing.

You should learn the whole pattern as one chunk, rather than trying to translate wel separately.

Both wij and we mean we.

The difference is mostly about style and emphasis:

• we = more common in everyday speech
• wij = a bit more formal, careful, or emphatic

So Wij vergelijken ... sounds slightly more written or formal than We vergelijken ..., but both are grammatically correct.

Because Dutch normally writes compound nouns as one word.

So:

• uur + prijs = uurprijs
• opvang + dag = opvangdag

This is very common in Dutch. English often uses separate words where Dutch uses a single compound.

Compare:

• English: hourly rate

• Dutch: uurprijs

• English: childcare day / daycare day
• Dutch: opvangdag

This is one of the most important spelling habits to get used to in Dutch.

Opvangdag is a compound noun:

• opvang = care, childcare, daycare, supervised care
• dag = day

So opvangdag means something like:

• childcare day
• day of care
• day on which childcare is available

The exact English translation depends on context, especially whether the context is daycare, after-school care, or some other type of care arrangement.

In Dutch compounds, the last part usually determines the grammatical gender and article.

So:

• prijs is a de-word → de prijs
• therefore: de uurprijs

and

• dag is a de-word → de dag
• therefore: de opvangdag

This is a very useful rule for compounds:

• look at the final noun
• that usually tells you whether it takes de or het

Because beschikbaar is being used before a noun as an adjective.

In Dutch, adjectives before a noun usually take -e in many common situations, especially after a definite article like de.

So:

• de beschikbare opvangdag = the available childcare day

But when the adjective comes after the verb, it usually stays without -e:

• De opvangdag is beschikbaar = The childcare day is available

So the contrast is:

• attributive adjective: de beschikbare opvangdag
• predicative adjective: de opvangdag is beschikbaar

A learner often meets vergelijken met:

• iets vergelijken met iets anders = to compare something with something else

That pattern is still correct. But in this sentence, Dutch is using a different structure: a contrast construction with niet zozeer ... als wel ....

So instead of saying:

• X vergelijken met Y

the sentence presents two contrasted elements directly:

• niet zozeer X als wel Y

That is why there is no met here. The contrast pattern itself already links the two noun phrases.

Yes, but it follows normal Dutch main-clause rules.

The basic structure is:

• Wij = subject
• vergelijken = finite verb in second position
• niet zozeer = contrast marker
• de uurprijs = first contrasted element
• als wel = introduces the second contrasted element
• de beschikbare opvangdag = second contrasted element

So the pattern is:

• Subject + finite verb + niet zozeer + X + als wel + Y

This is a standard way to build the sentence.

If you put another element first, the verb would still stay in second position:

• Vandaag vergelijken wij niet zozeer de uurprijs als wel de beschikbare opvangdag.

Yes, often you could use niet ... maar ..., but the nuance is slightly different.

Compare:

• niet zozeer X als wel Y = not so much X as Y
• niet X maar Y = not X but Y

The first version is usually softer and more nuanced. It suggests:

• X is not completely irrelevant,
• but Y is the more important thing.

The second version is more direct and more absolute.

So:

• Wij vergelijken niet zozeer de uurprijs als wel de beschikbare opvangdag
  sounds more subtle than
• Wij vergelijken niet de uurprijs, maar de beschikbare opvangdag

Both can be correct, but they are not exactly identical in tone.