Live-in care cost calculator

Live-in care with Medicare People starts from £1,340 a week for one person, including our agency fee. A residential care home in the South East typically costs around £1,400 to £1,800 a week, and nursing homes cost more. For one person, the two are often similar; for a couple, live-in care is usually much cheaper than two care home places, and it keeps them together at home. Use the calculator above to compare with your own figures.

Visiting home care is charged by the hour, often with a minimum visit length and higher rates for evenings, weekends and bank holidays. A few short visits a day can be good value, but once someone needs help for six or more hours a day, or support overnight, the weekly cost can climb above the cost of live-in care. Visits also leave long gaps when nobody is there, which can be a worry for people at risk of falls or living with dementia.

The price covers one carer living in your loved one's home, providing support day and night with a two-hour daily break, plus our matching, checks and ongoing support, including arranging relief carers for breaks and holidays. There is a one-off registration fee of £250. The household usually provides the carer's food and a private bedroom. There are no hourly charges and no long contracts.

No. They are a guide to help you compare options. Care home and visiting care prices vary a lot by provider, area and level of need, so check the prices of the homes and agencies you are considering and enter them in the calculator. Our own price depends on your loved one's needs, especially at night. We confirm our exact weekly cost once we've talked through those needs on a free call.

Possibly. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested and can be put towards care. Your council may contribute if your loved one has eligible needs and savings below £23,250, and the value of their home is not counted when care is at home. NHS Continuing Healthcare can pay in full where needs are mainly health-related. Our funding guides explain each option, and the calculator figures are before any funding.

No. We only provide live-in care, where the carer lives in the home. If a few visits a day would suit your loved one better, we'll tell you honestly, and your local council or the CQC website can point you to visiting home care providers. Live-in care usually makes sense when someone needs help at different times across the day and night, or when visits alone wouldn't feel safe.