The providers
Ten options, from the lowest published weekly price
Providers are listed by the lowest live-in price each one publishes. A starting price is the lowest weekly rate, not what most families pay, and some providers add a fee on top while others include it. We say which, in each provider's own words.
1.Curam
Both: an introductory service and a CQC-registered managed service
- What it publishes
- A platform of self-employed carers who set their own rates. A separate subsidiary, Curam Managed Care Services, is CQC-regulated. The page with its live-in rates
- Published price
- Live-in rates starting at £850 a week, with an average of £1,127 a week (no date shown; seen 19 October 2026). Its FAQ says a 12% client fee is added to invoices (dated August 2025), while its homepage cost tool shows a 10% fee.
- Suits
- Families looking for the lowest weekly rate who are happy to choose and direct a self-employed carer.
2.PrimeCarers
Introductory service: you hire a self-employed carer
- What it publishes
- This site. Self-employed carers set their own weekly rate and you see it on their profile before you contact them. The family pays one weekly price with our standard fee of 12.5% already inside it; the carer keeps the rest. Before a carer appears we check their ID, their right to work and an enhanced DBS (or PVG in Scotland, Access NI in Northern Ireland) issued within the last 2 years, and we interview them online. We do not verify references, qualifications or training, so ask the carer about those yourself. The cost of live-in care
- Published price
- £1,050 to £1,400 a week, typically £1,120, fee included (PrimeCarers rates, October 2026).
- Suits
- Families who want to see each carer's all-in weekly price and choose the carer themselves.
- Worth knowing
- We are weaker if you need someone else to take responsibility for cover. Carers are self-employed, and we cannot guarantee a replacement if a carer leaves. Our optional managed service, at 5% or 10% on top, includes help looking for cover, but it still cannot guarantee it.
3.Match with Care
Introductory service: you hire a self-employed carer
- What it publishes
- An introductory marketplace of self-employed carers. It says it does not employ or supervise carers and is not a CQC-registered care provider. Its FAQ
- Published price
- Live-in care "around £1,050 to £1,400 a week" on its homepage (no date shown). Its FAQ says you pay the carer's rate plus a 15% platform fee shown on your invoice (seen 19 October 2026).
- Suits
- Families comfortable with a newer, smaller marketplace.
4.Consultus Care & Nursing
Both: an introductory service and a CQC-registered managed service
- What it publishes
- An introductory service where a self-employed carer works for you, and a separate CQC-regulated fully managed service. Its costs page
- Published price
- Introductory care from £1,092 a week, including its weekly agency fee of £252, plus a one-off registration fee of £250. Fully managed care from £1,603 a week. On its costs page (no date shown; seen 19 October 2026).
- Suits
- Families who want an introductory service from a long-established company with a managed option alongside.
5.Elder
Introductory service: you hire a self-employed carer
- What it publishes
- An introductory agency for self-employed carers. Its pricing page says there are no weekend or bank holiday surcharges. Its pricing page
- Published price
- Live-in care from £1,150 a week. Short-term care from £1,595 a week. On its pricing page (no date shown; seen 19 October 2026).
- Suits
- Long-term live-in care where you want one all-in weekly quote.
6.Country Cousins
Introductory service: you hire a self-employed carer
- What it publishes
- An introductory live-in agency since 1959, with a public price comparison page. Its price comparison page
- Published price
- Standard live-in care from £1,155 a week long-term and from £1,225 a week short-term. On its price comparison page (no date shown; seen 19 October 2026).
- Suits
- Families who want an established introductory agency.
7.IP Live In Care
Both: an introductory service and a CQC-registered managed service
- What it publishes
- A CQC-regulated agency that employs its carers, with a partner company running an introductory service. Its costs page does not say which service its prices are for. Its live-in costs page
- Published price
- From £1,195 a week for one person and £1,295 for a couple. On its live-in costs page (no date shown; seen 19 October 2026).
- Suits
- Families who want a provider offering both models, at a price close to the introductory services above.
8.TrustonTap
Introductory service: you hire a self-employed carer
- What it publishes
- An introductory agency for self-employed carers in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and nearby counties. Its pricing page
- Published price
- Standard live-in rates from £1,200 a week, plus a client administration fee of 5% plus VAT. On its pricing page (no date shown; seen 19 October 2026).
- Suits
- Families in the counties it covers.
9.Avelon Live In Care
Both: an introductory service and a CQC-registered managed service
- What it publishes
- A CQC-regulated live-in agency, plus an introductory service called CareConnect. The promedica24.co.uk website now redirects to it. Its costs page
- Published price
- Care packages from £1,295 a week. No price shown for CareConnect. On its costs page (no date shown; seen 19 October 2026).
- Suits
- Families who want a managed, CQC-regulated agency at a lower published price.
10.Your council, Attendance Allowance and the NHS
Council route
- What it publishes
- The council's needs assessment can lead to funding if savings are below the limit. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested. NHS continuing healthcare pays for care in full where needs are mainly health needs. Apply for a needs assessment (GOV.UK)
- Published price
- Attendance Allowance is £76.70 or £114.60 a week, as shown on GOV.UK on 19 October 2026.
- Suits
- Every family. These reduce what you pay, whichever provider you choose.
Each provider’s own page was checked on 19 October 2026. Prices and services change, so confirm them with the provider before you rely on them.
How to choose
Comparing prices fairly
The cheapest headline figure is not always the cheapest week. Compare the price for the same model of care, with every fee added.
- Introductory service such as PrimeCarers£1,050–£1,400 a weekTypically £1,120 a week
- Fully managed agency CQC-registered, carers employed£1,120–£1,750 a weekTypically £1,400 a week
PrimeCarers rates, September 2026, our fee included. The agency figure is a typical fully managed, CQC-registered live-in package, not any specific company, since a named agency's own price can change at any time.
An introductory service is cheaper because the price is mostly the carer's own rate. A managed agency's price also covers the carer's employment costs and the agency's management, and in return the agency takes responsibility for cover. On PrimeCarers, the price on a carer's profile already includes our standard fee of 12.5%, so nothing is added on top. Elsewhere, check whether a client fee, VAT or a registration fee is added to the figure you are quoted.
Ask every provider
- The full weekly cost with every fee and VAT included
- What bank holidays, a second person or a car add
- What a short stay costs compared with a long one
Do not assume
- That a "from" price is what you will pay
- That two providers' headline prices include the same fees
The cost of live-in care breaks down a week on PrimeCarers, including food and bank holidays.
Questions
Questions about cheap live-in care
Of the providers we checked in October 2026, Curam published the lowest starting rate, £850 a week, with a client fee added to invoices. PrimeCarers starts from £1,050 a week with the fee included. Both are introductory services, where you hire a self-employed carer. Among CQC-regulated agencies, Avelon Live In Care publishes packages from £1,295 a week.
The price is mostly the carer's own rate plus a fee. A managed agency also pays the carer's employment costs and its own management, and it takes on finding cover, which is why its price is higher.
Ask the council for a needs assessment, claim Attendance Allowance (£76.70 or £114.60 a week, not means-tested), and ask about NHS continuing healthcare if needs are mainly health needs.
Live-in care on PrimeCarers runs from £1,050 to £1,400 a week, typically £1,120. That price includes our standard fee of 12.5%, and the carer keeps the rest.