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Care home or care at home — which costs less?
Staying at home, bringing in a live-in carer, or moving into a care home each add up very differently as care needs grow. Adjust a few figures and compare the real weekly and yearly cost of all three, side by side.
Care home vs care at home: cost comparison
The three main options cost very differently depending on how much help is needed. Adjust the figures below to see an illustrative weekly and yearly comparison of hourly home-care visits, live-in care and a care home — and where the cheapest option changes over.
Home-care visits
35 hrs/week × £23
£805/wk
£41,860/year
Lowest care cost
Live-in care
one carer, living with you
£1,400/wk
£72,800/year
Residential care home
room, meals & care included
£1,200/wk
£62,400/year
Where it changes over
At £23/hour, home-care visits work out cheaper up to about 52 hours a week. Beyond that, a residential care home (a fixed weekly price) usually costs less than paying by the hour — which is why families often switch once daily needs grow.
Comparing like with like
These are care costs only. With home-care visits or live-in care you still pay your own rent or mortgage, food, heating and council tax on top — a care home fee already includes your room, meals and bills. So the true cost of staying at home is higher than the care figure alone, and the right choice depends on the level of care needed, not just price.
Illustrative only — a transparent model, not a quote. Rates vary widely by region, provider and the level of need; live-in care may need two carers for high or overnight needs, and couples can often share one live-in cost. Always get real quotes and a needs assessment. See who should pay in our care funding & means-test calculator, or ask Bart.
What to keep in mind
Three things that swing the cost
It depends on the hours
A few visits a week is the cheapest option by far. But hourly costs add up — past a point, live-in care or a care home’s fixed weekly price works out lower.
Compare like with like
Staying at home only costs the care figure on top of the rent, food and bills you already pay. A care home fee bundles the room, meals and utilities in.
Then check who pays
Once you know the likely cost, the means test decides how much of it falls to you and how much the council covers. Our funding calculator works that out.
Want to know who pays? Try the care funding & means-test calculator.