Care Home Costs & Care Fees UK Average | June 2024

When paying for your own care, the average weekly fee for a residential care home is £1,232, compared to £1,470 for a nursing home. Annually, residential care homes cost around £64,000, while nursing homes cost around £76,000. The cost of care will vary, depending on the type of support you need, where you live, and any funding you're entitled to.

Depending on your total assets, you may qualify for assistance to help with care home fees via local council funding or through the NHS.

Here, we’ve shared the average cost of care homes across the UK for different types of care, and whether you'll be eligible for funding support. We also have an article explaining home care costs for 2024.

Article and Figures Last Updated: June 2024

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In this article:

1. How much are care home costs in the UK?
2. Self-funded care home costs
3. Care home costs in England, Scotland and Wales
4. Who pays for care?
5. Savings thresholds
6. Help with paying care home fees
7. What's included in care home fees?
8. Costs by provider
9. Costs by facilities available

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How Much Are Care Home Costs in the UK?

Care home costs vary, depending on the type of care provided. For example, a residential care home offering support with day-to-day activities like washing and dressing will cost less than a nursing home that provides 24/7 support for all residents from specially-trained nursing staff.

Care costs will also differ based on the facilities a home offers and where the home is located. Generally, you’ll find that care homes are more expensive in some parts of England, including London and Kent.

The table below illustrates how the cost of care differs throughout the UK (when receiving support from your local authority), based on location and care types.

Here, our internal data has been combined with local authority funded fees to bring you care home costs throughout the UK.

Residential care home costs

In the UK, the average cost of residential care is £972 per week and £4,212 per month.

Residential care costs typically cover a basic standard of care, including help with daily tasks like washing, dressing and assisting residents with medication.

Nursing care home costs

In the UK, the average cost of nursing care is £1,196 per week and £5,183 per month.

Nursing care homes are generally more expensive, as they provide round-the-clock care for residents who may have complex health conditions. These types of care homes also provide personal care - but there will always be at least one qualified nurse on duty.

Dementia care home costs

In the UK, the average cost of residential dementia care is £1,021 per week and £4,424 per month, while the average cost of nursing dementia care is £1,248 per week and £5,408 per month.

Care homes that provide specialist care, such as dementia care homes, will usually charge higher fees than both residential and nursing homes. Dementia can be complex and sometimes requires 24/7 care, and residents may need special therapy equipment to support them.

At the moment, people living with dementia in the UK have to fund the complete cost of their care, unless they have assets totalling less than £23,250.

Respite care home costs

In the UK, the average cost of residential respite care is £1,050 per week and £4,550 per month.

Respite care homes offer short periods of care for someone whose carer is on holiday or cannot care for them due to an emergency.

If you’re looking for temporary support, the best way to calculate the cost of care is via a financial assessment.

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Self-Funded Care Home Costs Across the UK

Below, we’ve provided the cost of privately funded care home fees (when paying for your own care) throughout the different regions of the UK across residential, nursing, residential dementia, nursing dementia and residential respite care.

This information has been created using our own internal data, based on the care homes we list.

Private nursing dementia care tends to be the most expensive type, costing an average of £1,534 per week across the UK, or £6,647 per month. Nursing care is slightly less expensive, costing an average of £1,470 a week, or £6,370 per month. Private residential care is the least expensive, costing an average of £1,232 per week across the UK, or £5,339 a per month.

The most expensive region in the UK is London. Here, private nursing fees cost an average of £1,607 per week, or £6,964 per month, while private residential care costs an average of £1,383 per week, or £5,993 per month.

Meanwhile, the UK’s least expensive region is North East England. Here, nursing care costs an average of £1,088 per week, or £4,714 per month, while private residential care costs an average of £1,035 per per week, or £4,485 per month.

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Care Home Costs in England

In England, the average self-funded residential care fee is £1,227 per week and £5,317 per month, while the average self-funded nursing care fee is £1,470 per week and £6,370 per month.

Care Home Costs in Scotland

In Scotland, the average self-funded residential care fee is £1,333 per week and £5,776 per month, while the average self-funded nursing care fee is £1,473 per week and £6,383 per month.

In Scotland, everyone aged 65 or over - regardless of income and assets - receives free nursing and personal care support (up to a certain limit) if they’ve been assessed by their local authority as needing it. They'll then have to contribute towards care home accommodation costs.

If your capital is below the lower limit (£20,250), the state will pay up to the following amounts:

• £832.10 a week for nursing care
• £719.50 a week for residential care

While these are the maximum funding amounts, you may not be entitled to this much. The amount of funding you or your loved one receive will depend on the level of care needed and the fees charged by different care homes.

Care Home Costs in Wales

In Wales, the average self-funded residential care fee is £1,198 per week and £5,189 per month, while the average self-funded nursing care fee is £1,456 per week and £6,308 per month.

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Who Pays for Care Home Fees?

When it comes to paying for care, you have several different options:

Self-funded care

If you have enough savings, you will be classed as a self-funder. When self-funding, you'll be expected to fully fund your own care.

You can either arrange and pay for care yourself, without involving your local council, or you can ask your local council to arrange and pay for your care. They’ll then bill you or your loved one the cost. However, not all councils offer this service, and some may charge a fee for doing it.

Local authority funding

Your local authorities may be able to provide financial support with your care home fees.

To be eligible for local authority funding, the following assessments will need to be taken by the care seeker:

• Care needs assessment – This will work out your care needs and the level of support required, such as from a care home. Every care seeker has the right to a free care needs assessment, and you can apply for a care needs assessment here. If you qualify for care funding then it’s the local authority’s legal duty to provide the appropriate care services

• Financial assessment – A local authority will then carry out a financial assessment to see whether you can pay for care yourself or if care home funding is needed

If you’re eligible for funding support, your local council will let you know how much they’ll contribute to the cost of care. This amount must be enough to pay the fees for at least one suitable care home. They’ll also arrange this suitable residential or nursing home to meet your or your loved one's care needs.

NHS-funded care

There are two main types of NHS funding within care homes. You can only receive one of these:

1. NHS Continuing Healthcare

If you've been assessed as having a ‘primary health need’, NHS Continuing Healthcare provides a care package which is arranged and funded by the NHS. This package covers the full cost of care and accommodation.

NHS Continuing Healthcare funding is available to adults in England who are living with intense, complex and unpredictable care needs.

You must complete an assessment by a team of healthcare professionals to determine if you’re eligible for NHS funded care - and this process can be complex.

An organisation called Beacon gives free, independent advice on NHS Continuing Healthcare. You can visit Beacon’s website or call their free helpline on 0345 548 0300.

2. NHS-funded nursing care

NHS-funded nursing care is provided by the NHS to cover the nursing or medical costs for those living in a care home or nursing home. This care is administered by a registered nurse.

You or your loved one may be eligible if:

• You're in a care home which is registered to provide nursing care
• You don’t qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare
• You've been assessed as needing a registered nurse to properly support your care needs

The amount you or your loved one can get each week will depend on where you live in the UK:

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Savings Thresholds For Care Home Costs 2024/2025

Here are the UK savings thresholds for 2024/2025:

• England and Northern Ireland - If your total savings and assets are over £23,250, you must self-fund your care. If your savings are below £14,250, you’ll qualify for the maximum support from your local council. Though, you'll likely still have to use most of your weekly income from your pension, benefits or savings to make up the difference. You'll be eligible for partial support if your savings are between £14,250 and £23,250

• Scotland - If your total savings and assets are over £32,750, you must self-fund your care. If your savings are below £20,250, you’ll qualify for the maximum support from your local council. You'll be eligible for partial support if your savings are between £32,750 and £20,250

• Wales - If your total savings and assets are over £50,000, you must self-fund your care. There’s no lower threshold in Wales, so if you have less than this amount, you’ll be eligible for the maximum amount of support regardless

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Help With Paying Care Home Fees

Before you start paying for care, you’ll need to do a free care needs assessment. You can do one through the adult social services department of your local council or local authority.

A care needs assessment is followed by a financial assessment which decides whether your local authority will help with paying for care fees. These assessments need to be arranged before you start looking for care homes, to ensure you receive any funding help you may be eligible for.

After the care needs and financial assessment, you or your loved one will be advised whether you need care and what funding you’re eligible for (if any).

How much will the local authority pay for my care?

There’s no set amount of funding support your local authority will provide towards your care. This figure varies from one local authority to another and also depends on the type of care you require.

Your local authority will provide you with a ‘personal budget’ based on your individual needs and the results of your care needs assessment and financial assessment. A personal budget is the amount of money your local authority is willing to pay towards your care costs and it must be enough to cover the cost of at least one appropriate care home.

If it’s determined that you require financial assistance (based on your savings and assets), your local authority will suggest one or more suitable care homes. The care home(s) they pick will depend on how much they’re willing to contribute towards your care.

Can I choose a care home that’s more expensive than the one my local authority suggests?

If you’re interested in a home that’s more expensive than the personal budget provided by your local authority, a relative or close friend can make up the difference through a top-up fee.

For example, if your local council is willing to pay £600 a week towards care but your preferred home costs £1,000 a week, someone else will need to pay the other £400 of weekly care fees.

Benefits for self-funders

If you self-fund your care in a care home, you could be eligible for benefits such as Attendance Allowance or Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

These benefits aren’t means-tested. You could be eligible for one of these if you require additional care and support due to a long-term health condition or disability. PIP is for people under the State Pension age, and Attendance Allowance is for people above it.

Attendance Allowance and PIP can only be claimed in a care home by somebody who pays for their own care. You can’t claim them if the local authority pays for your care.

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What’s Included In Care Home Fees?

Care home fees cover several things, particularly if you’re living permanently in a care home:

• The care you require. This could be personal care (such as assistance with getting dressed and undressed, washing, eating and getting around) or a specialist form of care such as nursing care or dementia care
• Meals throughout the day
• Accommodation (your own bedroom)
• Housekeeping (such as laundry)
• Utility costs (such as gas and electricity)
• The use of on-site facilities
• A range of social activities and events

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Care Home Costs By Provider

The cost of a care home varies from provider to provider, with some charging higher or lower weekly fees than others.

Care costs vary significantly from provider to provider. For example, providers such as Advinia Health Care and Minster Care Group, on average, charge under £1,000 per week for residential care. In contrast, more luxury providers such as Hamberley Care Homes and Hallmark Luxury Care Homes charge over £1,400 and £1,600 a week respectively for residential care.

It's worth noting that the cost of care for each of these providers differs, based on the types of care offered, the facilities available and the locations the homes can be found in.

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Care Home Costs By Facilities Available

Based on the prices charged by our care home partners, we’ve discovered that the facilities in a care home also affect the overall cost.

Whether or not a care home offers a particular facility greatly impacts the total cost of care. This is especially true for luxury facilities such as cinema rooms, gyms and spas. For example, residential care is, on average, £337 more expensive in a care home containing a gym than one that doesn’t, while nursing care is £184 more expensive.

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Find Care Homes in Your Area

You can use Lottie to find a care home near you. Every home we list has been handpicked by our care experts for the high standards of care provided, hardworking care teams, state-of-the-art facilities and enjoyable activities on offer.

For further support, you can also request a free care home shortlist. Our care experts will then send you a tailored list of homes matching your requirements, including location, budget and the type of care needed.

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Source: All care home data used in this article is based on Lottie's internal analysis. If you'd like to use this data, please credit us as the source.

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Lottie matches care seekers with the best care homes for their needs. You can request a free care home shortlist from our care experts, who will share homes matching your budget, location and type of care needed. You can also search for a care home through our easy-to-use directory.