Home care vs. assisted living: the real cost math

Both options get summarized in one number, and both numbers mislead. Here's the honest arithmetic families actually need.

The headline numbers

Nationally, in-home care runs about $35/hour, roughly $3,050/month at 20 hours a week. Assisted living averages about $6,200/month. On those two numbers alone, home care looks like half the price. Sometimes it is. Often it isn't.

Cost figures: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 national medians; local prices vary. The assessment shows your state's figures, or compare costs in every state.

The crossover point

Home care is billed by the hour; assisted living is all-in. At 20 hours a week, home care wins clearly. At 40 hours a week (~$6,050/month), you've matched an assisted living bill, for 24% of the coverage hours. Around-the-clock home care runs several times the cost of a facility. The honest question isn't "which is cheaper?" It's "how many hours of help does this situation actually need, and where is that number heading?"

The costs the headline numbers hide

Which fits when

Home care fits when needs are part-time and stable, the home is safe (or fixable), and family can genuinely cover the uncovered hours. Assisted living fits when needs run across the whole day, isolation is doing its own damage, or the family hours propping up the plan have become unsustainable. Paying for either has more paths than most families know; see how to pay for home care and our VA benefits overview.