Where to start › Planning ahead › What care costs
What care actually costs
Families consistently underestimate these numbers by half. Here they are with sources and dates, so your planning starts from reality — and so the cost-runway calculator has honest inputs.
The national medians (2025 survey)
From the CareScout (Genworth) Cost of Care Survey, fielded July–November 2025 across 25,000+ providers (carescout.com — their tool shows your own area, which matters, because state medians differ two-fold and more):
- Non-medical in-home caregiver: $35/hour — about $80,000/year at 44 hours/week.
- Adult day health care: $95/day — about $24,700/year at five days a week.
- Assisted living: $6,200/month — $74,400/year (memory care typically runs ~25% above assisted living in market surveys).
- Nursing home: $315/day semi-private, $355/day private — $115,000–$129,600/year.
- Skilled nursing at home (private-duty nurse): $90/hour.
The odds, honestly
Federal research (HHS/ASPE, 2022 — aspe.hhs.gov) estimates that 56% of Americans turning 65 will develop a need for long-term services and supports, for an average of about 3.1 years; roughly one person in five will need it for more than five years. Averaged across everyone, projected lifetime cost was about $121,000 in 2020 dollars — but among people who use paid care it averaged roughly double that, and women's costs run nearly twice men's. Nationally, Medicaid ultimately pays the largest share of long-term care in the country — which is why the Medicaid road and the five-year window sit at the center of this site.
Run your own runway
Our calculator multiplies these costs against your person's actual savings and income, entirely on your own device (we never see your numbers — nothing on this site is tracked). It's the fastest honest answer to "how long would the money last?"
Who helps you locally — free, and on your side. You do not have to figure this out alone. Your Area Agency on Aging gives free options counseling; reach any of them through the federal Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 or eldercare.acl.gov (Administration for Community Living). More on the four people who help — and what each one does — on Who helps me locally.
Quick answers
How much does a nursing home cost per month in 2026?
The 2025 CareScout (Genworth) Cost of Care Survey puts the national median at $315/day for a semi-private room (about $9,600/month) and $355/day for a private room (about $10,800/month). State medians vary enormously — CareScout's tool shows local figures.
How much does assisted living cost?
The national median was $6,200/month ($74,400/year) in the 2025 CareScout survey. Memory care typically costs about 25% more than standard assisted living in market surveys. Actual prices vary widely by state and by how much care is included in the base rate.
What are the odds of needing long-term care?
Federal HHS/ASPE research (2022) estimates 56% of Americans turning 65 will develop a serious enough need, for an average of about 3.1 years; about 1 in 5 will need care for more than five years. Women need care longer than men on average, and their lifetime costs run nearly double.