Seniors nationwide pay an average of $4,481 a month for professional home care, according to the Genworth Cost of Care Survey. That works out to $147 a day for the average caregiver.
Aging in place is a popular choice for American seniors. According to a 2018 survey by the AARP, 3 out of 4 aging citizens in the United States hope to remain in their own homes for as long as they can. In-home care, delivered from a professional caregiver who visits daily, is one way to extend the time that seniors can remain safely and comfortably in their own houses and apartments.
How Much Does Home Care Cost?
The cost of in-home care varies substantially between states, and even within the same state. In Washington state, for example, the average cost of home care is $198 per day, while seniors in the state of West Virginia pay $116 on average. Within California, home care in San Francisco averages $201 a day, while El Centro, close to the border with Arizona, averages $138. However, this assumes 44 hours of care a week, which is just over six hours a day. When you break the hourly cost down for home care in the top 10 cities in the United States, it looks like this:
|
City
|
Monthly Cost
|
Hourly Cost
|
Daily Cost – 12 Hours
|
Daily Cost – 6 Hours
|
Daily Cost – 3 Hours
|
|
New York
|
$4,957
|
$26.00
|
$312
|
$156
|
$78
|
|
Los Angeles
|
$5,434
|
$28.50
|
$342
|
$171
|
$86
|
|
Chicago
|
$4,957
|
$26.00
|
$312
|
$156
|
$78
|
|
Houston
|
$4,290
|
$22.50
|
$270
|
$135
|
$68
|
|
Phoenix
|
$5,148
|
$27.00
|
$324
|
$162
|
$81
|
|
Philadelphia
|
$4,767
|
$25.00
|
$300
|
$150
|
$75
|
|
San Antonio
|
$4,290
|
$23.00
|
$276
|
$138
|
$69
|
|
San Diego
|
$5,716
|
$29.98
|
$360
|
$180
|
$90
|
|
Dallas
|
$4,385
|
$23.00
|
$276
|
$138
|
$69
|
|
San Jose
|
$6,197
|
$32.50
|
$390
|
$195
|
$98
|
Alternatives to Home Care
Home care services are not the only option for seniors who would like to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. Home health care services are similar to home caregiver help, though with more of an emphasis on helping seniors with medical needs, such as wound care or assistance with injections. Home health care prices are broadly similar to caregiver costs, though in many areas they are slightly more expensive. In Rhode Island, for example, home health care costs average $194 a day, while home care services average $182.
Adult day care is another option. Adult day care centers typically operate Monday through Friday and look after seniors in their care during normal or extended business hours. Because these don’t operate overnight, they can be significantly less expensive than assisted living or nursing care homes. Nationwide, adult day health care averages $74 a day.
Paying for Home Care
As of 2019, 44 states have programs that can help seniors pay for in-home caregiver assistance. If you’re eligible for Medicaid, check with a program worker about your state’s Medicaid assisted living waiver. Waiver programs such as these pay caregivers for the hours they spend working with enrolled seniors, usually with a requirement that the beneficiary signs off on the hours actually worked. This structure gives seniors in the program significant control.
