The cost of care
What care at home costs, in numbers
These are the real rates the carers on PrimeCarers charge, alongside what agencies and care homes charge for the same thing, three worked examples, and who might be able to help pay for it. None of these are brochure figures.
Hourly visits
£20 an hour
from £18 · £18–£25, lower for six-hour shifts
Overnight
£150 a night
from £130 · sleeping £130–£145, waking £150–£160
Live-in
£1,120 a week
from £1,050 · complex from £1,260, couples about £1,350
All figures include our fee. Carers set their own rates; the exact price is on each profile. Work out your weekly cost.
What carers charge per hour
Live
Share of carers at each advertised hourly rate. Most sit between £18 and £20.
Work it out
Tell us the hours, and see what a week would cost
Pick the kind of care and how much of it. The figure updates as you go, alongside what an agency or a care home would charge for the same thing.
Short visits are priced at £20 an hour. Above 42 hours the estimate switches to the six-hour shift rate of £18.
10 hours a week
£200 a week
This is the typical figure. It ranges from £180 to £250 depending on the carer you choose.
These are estimates rather than quotes. You only ever pay a carer’s advertised rate for the hours that happen.
Three families
What a real week looks like
These are typical arrangements, priced at typical rates. Your own week will be different, but it will usually be put together in the same way.
Three mornings a week for Mum
Margaret, 84, living alone. Washing, breakfast and medication three mornings a week, 1.5 hours each.
- 4.5 hours a week (4.5 × £20)
- £90
- A week
- £90
about £390 a month
An agency at £28 to £35 an hour would be £126 to £158 a week for the same visits.
How this kind of care worksEvery day after Dad’s fall
Derek, 79, home from hospital. An hour every morning and evening, plus a sleeping night three times a week while he is unsteady.
- 14 hours a week (14 × £20)
- £280
- 3 sleeping nights (3 × £130)
- £390
- A week
- £670
about £2,903 a month
Usually a few weeks, then the nights drop off as confidence comes back.
How this kind of care worksA live-in carer for both of them
Joan and Peter, both in their late eighties. Joan has dementia; Peter manages but cannot lift her. One carer lives in.
- Live-in, couple (one carer, one rate)
- £1,350
- A week
- £1,350
about £5,850 a month
Two care home places would be about £2,320 a week, and they would be apart.
How this kind of care worksWhat moves the price
Six things that put a carer at £18 or £25
Carers set their own rates, so there is a wide spread between the cheapest and the most expensive. These are the reasons behind it.
- 1
Where you live
London and the South East run a pound or two above the rest of the UK. Every county page shows local averages.
- 2
How long each visit is
Carers advertise a lower rate for shifts of six hours or more, typically about £18 an hour against £20 for short visits.
- 3
What the care involves
Complex needs (hoisting, PEG, advanced dementia) attract experienced carers at the top of the range. Company and light help sit at the bottom.
- 4
The carer’s experience
A carer with fifteen years behind them and a long list of reviews charges more than one who is starting out, and both are on the platform.
- 5
Nights and weekends
Sleeping nights cost less than waking nights. Some carers charge more at weekends; if they do, it is on their profile. Bank holidays are charged at one and a half times the carer’s rate, and Christmas Day at double.
- 6
Notice
Care that starts this week costs the same as care planned for next month. There is no urgency premium, but there may be less choice.
Where the money goes
Our fee is already inside the rate you see. The rest is the carer’s. An agency takes a much larger share, which is why the same visit costs more and the carer earns less.
Carer takes home ~£12
Carer takes home ~£17
Extras to budget for
- Carer’s meals (live-in only)
- £5–£10 a day
- Mileage
- 45p a mile
- Outings and tickets
- At cost
- Waking nights on top of live-in
- about £148 a night
A live-in carer eats with the household. Budget it into the weekly shop.
Only when the carer drives your relative in their own car and you have agreed it in advance in writing, usually at the HMRC rate.
Entry for anything the carer attends to support your relative. Agree it in advance.
A live-in carer sleeps. If they would be up often, add a waking-night carer instead.
There is nothing else to pay: no deposit, no joining fee, and no charge for a visit that does not happen. How our pricing works.
Who pays
Four kinds of help many families never claim
Most people assume they will pay for everything themselves. It is worth looking at these before you decide anything, because the first one alone is worth about £5,960 a year and is not means-tested.
By area
Average rates where you live
Averages of what carers in each county advertise. Live-in is shown per week from the daily rate.
| County | Hourly | Overnight | Live-in / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | £19.77 | £146 | £1,085 |
| Cornwall | £20.13 | £150 | £1,068 |
| Devon | £19.90 | £147 | £1,088 |
| Durham | £19.32 | £144 | £1,073 |
| Edinburgh | £19.23 | £141 | £1,052 |
| Essex | £19.95 | £150 | £1,078 |
| Glasgow | £19.70 | £143 | £1,066 |
| Hampshire | £19.92 | £150 | £1,078 |
| Kent | £19.87 | £150 | £1,078 |
| London | £19.80 | £149 | £1,071 |
| Manchester | £19.50 | £149 | £1,071 |
| Norfolk | £20.05 | £156 | £1,094 |
| Nottingham | £19.89 | £146 | £1,080 |
| Somerset | £19.90 | £146 | £1,088 |
| Surrey | £19.83 | £149 | £1,074 |
| West Yorkshire | £19.54 | £150 | £1,073 |
Carers’ advertised rates, before you have chosen anyone. Your county not here? Find it in the directory.
Safety first
Someone coming into their home? We take that seriously.
Letting a carer into the home of someone you love takes trust. We've built every layer of protection so that trust is earned, not assumed.
Vetting that never stops
Enhanced DBS, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview before a carer appears, then continuous DBS monitoring for as long as they work. We check that a carer is caring; their skills and training are for you to check with them.
Insured and above board
Every visit is insured, contracted and paid securely online after care happens. There is no cash and no informal arrangement to manage.
A real person who knows you
Your own account manager and a UK support team who know you, your carer and your situation, not a call centre script.
Help when plans change
If your carer is unwell or away, our team will always do their best to find you vetted cover at short notice.
What clients say
Our Latest Carer Reviews
Margaret N
"Excellent - Lovely lady. My mother is so pleased with the work she does in helping her."
Read the full review
Julia S
"Julia is a highly skilled and companionate carer who is able to give so much of herself and adapt to any situation."
Read the full review
Andres Felipe C
"My son who he is caring for automatically welcomed Andres and can be heard laughing & having fun with Andres."
Read the full reviewQuestions families ask
The cost of care, answered
On PrimeCarers, between £18 and £25 an hour, typically £20, with our fee included. Shifts of six hours or more are usually cheaper per hour, about £18. Agencies charge £28 to £35 an hour for the same visit. Hourly care in detail.
Typically £28 to £35 an hour in 2026, more in London. The carer doing the visit sees around £12 of that. A private carer through PrimeCarers charges £18 to £25 and keeps most of it. Private carers vs agency carers.
The same as above: £18 to £25 an hour for visits, £130 to £160 a night, and from £1,050 a week to live in. Every carer’s exact rate is on their profile before you speak to them. How private carers work.
A sleeping night, where the carer is on hand and helps once or twice, is £130 to £145. A waking night, where they stay up, is £150 to £160. Three sleeping nights a week is about £390 a week. Overnight care in detail.
From £1,050 a week for standard care, typically £1,120. Complex care starts from £1,260, typically £1,340. A couple is about £1,350 for one carer looking after both. The full live-in cost guide.
If you only need a few hours of care a day, it is much cheaper. Live-in care for one person is about the same as a care home (£1,100–£1,600+ a week), but one-to-one. For a couple, live-in care at about £1,350 a week is far cheaper than two care home places at roughly £2,320. The comparison in full.
The carer’s time, our fee, insurance while they work, the contract, and secure payment after each visit. Not included: a live-in carer’s food, and anything you agree in advance such as mileage when they drive your relative or tickets for outings. There is no deposit or joining fee. How our pricing works.
You pay through PrimeCarers after care has happened, and the carer is paid from that. It keeps everyone insured and contracted, and means you never pay for a visit that did not take place.
Attendance Allowance is not means-tested and most older people needing daily help qualify. Councils fund care after an assessment if savings are under £23,250. NHS Continuing Healthcare covers everything where the main need is health. Funding options explained.
Carers set their own rates. Location, experience, how long the visit is and how complex the care is all move the price, which is why you will see £18 and £25 on the same search page. What moves the price.
Guides
Every cost guide on the site
One per type of care, and everything we know about paying for it.
Paying and funding
Work out your cost
Other options
The exact price is on every profile
Search your postcode and see what the carers near you charge, before you speak to anyone.