The short answer
- Cost: live-in care from £1,095 a week; nursing homes in our counties typically cost from £1,750 to £1,950 per person.
- Couples who both need care: live-in care costs less than half of two nursing home places.
- Life: at home, their routine, garden, pets and neighbours carry on, with one-to-one care.
- A care home can be better if someone needs two carers at once, nursing care, help every night, or more company than one carer can give.
How do the costs compare?
| County | Nursing home, one person | Two nursing home places | Live-in care with us |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Sussex | £1,750 a week | £3,500 a week | from £1,095 (couple both needing care: from £1,445; one needing care, the other help with cooking and housekeeping: £1,260) |
| East Sussex | £1,950 a week | £3,900 a week | from £1,095 (couple both needing care: from £1,445; one needing care, the other help with cooking and housekeeping: £1,260) |
| Surrey | £1,950 a week | £3,900 a week | from £1,095 (couple both needing care: from £1,445; one needing care, the other help with cooking and housekeeping: £1,260) |
| Kent | £1,800 a week | £3,600 a week | from £1,095 (couple both needing care: from £1,445; one needing care, the other help with cooking and housekeeping: £1,260) |
| Berkshire | £1,900 a week | £3,800 a week | from £1,095 (couple both needing care: from £1,445; one needing care, the other help with cooking and housekeeping: £1,260) |
| Hampshire | £1,850 a week | £3,700 a week | from £1,095 (couple both needing care: from £1,445; one needing care, the other help with cooking and housekeeping: £1,260) |
To compare fairly: care home fees include food, heating and bills. With live-in care you keep paying your household bills and provide your carers' food. Even allowing for that, live-in care usually costs less for one person, and much less for a couple.
What a care home price doesn't show
- Their own home: kitchen, garden, armchair and bed.
- Pets stay, and so do neighbours, friends and the local shop.
- Their own routine: when to get up, what to eat, when to go out.
- One-to-one care, rather than staff shared between many residents.
- The house stays theirs. It isn't counted in the council's means test for care at home. Will we have to sell the house?
What about couples?
In a care home, each person pays for a full place, and not every home can offer couples a room together. With live-in care, one carer at a time looks after you both at home, If you both need care, it's from £1,445 a week, while two nursing home places cost from £3,500 to £3,900. If only one of you needs care and your partner just needs help with meals and housekeeping, it's £1,260 a week.
When is a care home the better choice?
We'd rather you chose the right option than chose us. A care home, or a nursing home, may suit better when:
- care needs two people at once, for example hoisting (although this can be achieved with mix of live in care and visiting carers morning & evening)
- there are uniqe nursing needs
- someone is lonely and would enjoy more company and activities than one carer can offer
- there's no spare bedroom for a carer, and no way to make one
Questions to ask any care home
- What's included in the weekly fee, and what costs extra, such as hairdressing, chiropody, toiletries and outings?
- Do self-funders pay more than council-funded residents?
- Can a couple share a room?
- Do costs rise from year to year and by how much? - How many staff are on duty during the day and at night, and for how many residents?
- What happens to the fee if care needs increase?
Ask us the same questions. See what our price includes.
This guide covers England. It's general information, not financial or legal advice. Rules and rates change, so check your own situation with your council or an independent adviser.
Sources
- DHSC: Social care charging for care and support 2026 to 2027
- Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support Statutory Guidance
