Is Live-in Care Cheaper Than a Care Home?

When self-funding your own care, the average care home fee is £1,120/week for residential care and £1,385/week for nursing care, according to Laing Buisson, while Live-in carers on PrimeCarers charge an average of £993.23/week for more basic care and £1,190.28/week for complex care.

It’s not that simple, though… On the face of it, the cost difference between the two might not be so different, but there are many other things to consider.

What is Live-In Care? The Essential Guide For 2023

Read Now

Cost of Housing

The actual cost of housing depends on who else lives there. If your loved one lives alone, moving into a care home may be considerably cheaper as their empty house can be rented out or sold to fund the care they require.

However, if your loved one lives with their husband/wife or another family member, the house will need to be paid for whether or not they move into a care home. In that case, the cheaper cost of live-in care may be more suitable.

Number of Patients

Care home placements are charged per patient, but a live-in carer will often just charge their complex rate when caring for couples. This can potentially be a lot more work for a carer, but as long as both patients’ needs are manageable by a single carer, this can work out much cheaper.

Waking Nights

Even if the above is true, nights can still be challenging for two medium-dependency patients living in a home handled by a single live-in carer. If one or both patients wake up more than twice a night, it won’t be sustainable for the live-in carer. An overnight relief carer or other support may be required in these cases.

Food and Board

While the headline price for a live-in carer is listed at the top of this page, there is an expectation that a live-in carer is also fed while on their placements. Now those food costs can be factored in by purchasing more shopping alongside existing shopping or by providing a weekly food budget.

Take a look at our full article about live-in care food.

Family Support

Something often overlooked in the debate about the cost of live-in vs care home pay is the role of the family. Since live-in carers typically work in 3 weeks on, 1 week off patterns, the one-week portion of the time is typically filled by another carer. However, a family member can take on caring responsibilities for that week instead.

Other options include covering the weekends and having a live-in carer throughout the week.

This makes a massive difference to the cost of live-in care, and it’s not something you can do when you opt for a care home.

Conclusion

When deciding between live-in care and a care home, it’s essential to consider all factors, not just the headline costs. The cost of housing, the number of patients, waking nights, food and board, and family support can all impact the overall cost. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each option and consider what is best for your loved one’s needs and circumstances. Live-in care may become a more cost-effective option if you take advantage of its flexibility.