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When families compare live-in care with a care home, the weekly fee is only part of the picture. What is included, how funding is assessed and whether one or two people need care all change the sums.
What a care home costs
Care home fees are charged per person. Residential homes commonly charge £1,100–£1,500 a week, and nursing homes £1,300–£1,800 or more, with London and the South East at the top of the range. Many homes charge self-funders more than the council pays for the same room, and a 'top-up' may be needed if the council is paying but the family prefers a more expensive home.
What live-in care costs
Our live-in care costs £1,300 a week for standard care and £1,450 for specialist care such as dementia or frequent help at night. On top of the fee, the household provides the carer's food and a room - the house is already being heated and lit, so the extra running costs are usually modest.
The person also keeps paying their own household bills, which they would stop paying in a care home. Those bills belong in any honest comparison.
Couples: where the numbers change most
Two care home places mean two fees - often £2,200–£3,000 a week in total. One live-in carer can usually support both partners, so couples care is normally far cheaper than two residential places, and the couple stays together. Call us for a couples quote, as it depends on both people's needs.
How the means test treats the home
In England, someone with capital above £23,250 pays for their own care. For a care home, the value of their house usually counts once the first 12 weeks have passed, unless a partner or certain relatives still live there. For care at home, the house is not counted at all, which can make council support available sooner.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own rules - Scotland, for example, provides free personal care to people assessed as needing it - so check the rules for the nation where the person lives.
What about hourly home care?
Visiting home care is charged by the hour, often around £30 an hour or more through an agency. A few visits a day is cheaper than live-in care, but once someone needs help across most of the day, or reassurance at night, hourly care quickly costs more than a live-in carer.