Home care or assisted living: which costs more?

Paid help at home is billed by the hour; assisted living is a monthly price that includes housing and meals. Compare them for your situation, and see how many hours of home care cost the same as assisted living.

State Fills in the state’s median hourly rate for in-home help and its median assisted living price.

Staying home

Hours of paid help per week Around the clock is 168 hours. Many agencies have 3 to 4 hour minimums per visit.

Hourly rate National median for a non-medical caregiver: $35/hour (CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, collected July to November 2025).

Housing each month Mortgage or rent, property tax, insurance, HOA.

Food, utilities, upkeep, transportation each month

Assisted living

Monthly price National median: $6,200/month. Use a real quote if you have one.

Care-level or extra fees each month Many communities add charges for more help, medication management or incontinence care. Ask for them in writing.

Planning how to pay?

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Paying for Senior Living

Costs by type of care, a monthly budget, and how insurance, the VA, Medicaid and Medicare help.

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What the numbers leave out

Assisted living usually includes meals, housekeeping, activities and someone on site at night; home care hours are only the hours you pay for.
Home care costs more if you need nights, weekends or two people for transfers, and someone must cover when an aide calls out.
Staying home can be the right choice for many reasons besides cost. The better question is often safety and loneliness.

An estimate to help you plan, not financial, legal, tax or benefits advice. Nothing you enter leaves this page. Medicare does not pay for assisted living or long-term care (who does). Medicaid rules vary by state; an elder law attorney can advise on your situation.