Home care typically costs £25–£30 an hour in 2026, so a couple of visits a day can run to £1,500–£2,500 a month. Live-in care is more, often £1,300–£1,800 a week. Your home’s value is never counted for care at home, and benefits such as Attendance Allowance can help.
The short answer
- Home care typically costs £25–£30 an hour, or £1,300–£1,800 a week for live-in care.
- Two visits a day often works out at £1,500–£2,500 a month.
- Your property is never counted in the means test for care at home.
For many people, staying in their own home with support is the preferred option, and often the more affordable one, at least while needs are modest. The cost depends almost entirely on how many hours of care you need and whether you require live-in support. Here is what to budget for in 2026.
A big advantage of home care is that the value of your property is never counted in the means test, unlike a permanent move into a care home. That single fact often makes staying at home the more resilient choice financially, as well as the more comfortable one. This is general information, not personal advice.
Typical home-care costs in 2026
Indicative UK home-care costs, 2026
| Type of support | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Hourly domiciliary care | £25 – £30 per hour |
| Two visits a day | £1,500 – £2,500 per month |
| Live-in care | £1,300 – £1,800 per week |
| Live-in care, complex needs | £1,800 – £2,500+ per week |
Hourly rates vary by region and provider, and short “pop-in” visits sometimes carry a minimum charge. Live-in care can look expensive per week but compares reasonably with a nursing home once round-the-clock needs are factored in, and it keeps you in familiar surroundings. Our guide to funding care at home goes into the detail.
There is also a choice between arranging care through an agency or employing a carer directly. Agencies cost more per hour but handle recruitment, training, cover for holidays and sickness, insurance and regulation, which removes a great deal of stress. Employing privately can be cheaper hour-for-hour, but you take on the responsibilities of an employer, contracts, payroll, National Insurance and arranging cover. For most families the simplicity of an agency is worth the premium, at least to begin with.
Help that can bring the cost down
Several sources of support can reduce what you pay out of pocket:
- 1
Attendance Allowance
A non-means-tested benefit of roughly £74 or £110 a week (2026) for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care: it is not affected by your savings or income.
- 2
Local-authority funding
If your assessable capital is below £23,250 the council may fund some or all of your care; your home is always disregarded for care at home.
- 3
NHS Continuing Healthcare
Where you have a primary health need, the NHS can fund care at home in full, with no means test.
- 4
Disabled facilities grants
Grants towards adaptations, ramps, stairlifts, wet rooms, that help you stay at home safely.
Because Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, it is worth claiming even if you are a self-funder, many eligible people never apply, leaving thousands of pounds a year unclaimed. It comes in two rates depending on whether you need help during the day, at night, or both, and the money can be spent however helps you most. To see how the savings limits interact with home care, read how much savings you can have before paying for care.
If the council does arrange your care, ask about a personal budget and the option of direct payments. Rather than the council commissioning care on your behalf, direct payments give you the money to arrange support yourself, offering far more choice over who provides it and when. It involves a little more administration, but many people value the control, for example, keeping the same trusted carer or fitting visits around family life.
Budgeting for the long term
Home-care needs tend to grow over time, so a plan that works today may not stretch to several visits a day in a few years. Modelling how your income, savings and any property wealth would cope with rising costs, and whether a care fee annuity or equity release has a role to play, is exactly the sort of question a regulated specialist can answer. A good plan builds in headroom for care needs to increase, so that a change in health does not immediately become a change in where you can afford to live.
It often makes sense to compare the total cost of intensive home care with a care home before committing. As a rough guide, once you are paying for several visits a day or full live-in support, the weekly figure can approach, or exceed, residential care, at which point the decision becomes about quality of life and preference as much as money. Reviewing the plan every year keeps it aligned with changing needs.
The free Vetted Wealth service matches you with independently vetted, FCA-regulated advisers who focus on care-fee planning and can help you model how long your resources will last. It is information and a matching service, not personal advice, and investments can fall as well as rise.
In summary
- Home care typically costs £25–£30 an hour, or £1,300–£1,800 a week for live-in care.
- Two visits a day often works out at £1,500–£2,500 a month.
- Your property is never counted in the means test for care at home.
- Attendance Allowance (around £74–£110 a week) is not means-tested, claim it even as a self-funder.
- The council or NHS may fund home care depending on your capital and health needs.
- This is information, not personal advice.
Sources and further reading
- NHS Continuing Healthcare NHS
- Paying for your own care GOV.UK
- Paying for care Age UK
Read the full guide
For the complete picture, see our in-depth guide: Funding Care at Home.
Speak to a vetted care fee planning specialist
This is free information, not personal advice. When you’re ready, we’ll match you with an independently vetted, FCA-regulated specialist, free, and with no obligation.
