Care home costs by region, next to the cost of help at home
In England, people paying for themselves paid on average £1,278 a week for a residential care home and £1,594 for a nursing home in 2024/25. Six hours a week of practical help at home costs about £150 to £192.
This is not a like-for-like comparison
A care home includes personal care, meals, a room and staff day and night. Practical help is someone doing the garden, the cleaning or the odd jobs. The comparison shows the scale of the difference for people who need practical help, not care. If your parent needs personal care, talk to their GP and ask the council for a free needs assessment.
Weekly fees by English region (2024/25)
Average fees at for-profit homes, all payers, from LaingBuisson's 2024/25 data as reported by Which? in March 2025.
| Region | Residential | Nursing | 6 hrs help at home | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North East | £897 | £1,164 | £150 to £192 | |
| North West | £882 | £1,196 | £150 to £192 | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £907 | £1,287 | £150 to £192 | |
| East Midlands | £958 | £1,250 | £150 to £192 | |
| West Midlands | £912 | £1,308 | £150 to £192 | |
| East of England | £1,034 | £1,411 | £150 to £192 | |
| London | £1,189 | £1,513 | £150 to £192 | |
| South East | £1,243 | £1,579 | £150 to £192 | |
| South West | £1,170 | £1,472 | £150 to £192 | |
| England | £1,042 | £1,372 | £150 to £192 |
Bars: clay is the residential weekly fee, green is six hours of help at the top of the range.
Self-funders pay more
People paying their own fees in England paid on average £1,278 a week for residential care in 2024/25, against £908 paid by councils: a gap of about £370 a week. For nursing care it was £1,594 against £1,225.
2026 listed fees
Lottie's 2026 index of fees that homes list on its site put the UK residential average at about £1,431 a week in Q3 2026. Lottie does not independently verify these fees, and its Q2 and Q3 figures disagree, so we show them separately rather than mixing them into the table.
Scotland and Wales
Care home costs in Scotland · Care home costs in Wales
How we worked out the cost of help at home
Six hours a week at £25 to £32 an hour, the typical 2026 range for gardening and handyperson work outside London. Cleaning is often cheaper, and London rates are higher. You pay helpers directly at their own rates.