Care Home Costs UK 2026
Compare adult social care unit costs across 116 English local authorities. Residential care, nursing care, combined residential and nursing, and short-term care. Data refreshed annually from official NHS England Adult Social Care Activity and Finance Report.
How much does a care home cost in the UK in 2026?
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Send the provider, price, inclusions and source date. We review submissions before publishing and use them to catch stale quotes, missing fees and better local options.
Care cost depth
Local care fee searches to support with council-level data
Care search demand is heavily local. Depth should combine local authority costs, self-funder uplift, dementia premiums, CQC supply and funding rules.
| Search target | Price signal | Depth angle | Next data point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Care home fees by council | Residential and nursing weekly council rates | Council rate versus self-funder quote and top-up fees | Local authority self-funder uplift estimates |
| Dementia care cost UK | Dementia residential and nursing fee uplifts | Specialist staffing, one-to-one support and nursing needs | Dementia premium by region and CQC supply pressure |
| Care home fee quote checks | Weekly residential, nursing and short-term care bands | Top-ups, inclusions, fee rises and self-funder uplift | Anonymised self-funder quote examples by local authority |
| Nursing home fees | Weekly nursing care and FNC context | Funded Nursing Care, CHC and top-up questions | FNC-aware quote examples and local authority ranges |
| Care costs calculator | Weekly fee multiplied into monthly and annual cost | Capital threshold, property rules and funding route | Scenario outputs for 6, 12, 24 and 60 months |
What families may actually pay
Council baseline
£1,196
per week from ASC-FR returns
Annual equivalent: £62,192.
Self-funder guide
£1,435-£1,674
per week, using a 20-40% uplift
Mid estimate: £1,555 per week.
2.5-year exposure
£202,124
mid self-funder estimate
Council-rate equivalent: £155,480.
Use the council rate as the floor, then ask providers for the self-funder fee, inclusions and annual uplift policy. For nursing placements, the current England standard NHS-funded nursing care rate is £268 per week.
What to check in a care home fee quoteResidential and nursing care
Residential care home
Long-term residential care without nursing — accommodation, meals, personal care and supervision for older adults who can no longer live independently.
Nursing care home
Care home with on-site qualified nurses for residents with complex medical needs — typically 25–40% more expensive than residential care without nursing.
Residential and nursing care
Combined residential and nursing care category from NHS England ASC-FR — covers care home placements where the local authority records the cost as a combined rate rather than splitting residential vs nursing.
Short-term care
Short-term residential or nursing care — typically used for respite, post-hospital recovery, end-of-life care or temporary placement during a crisis. ASC-FR reports a single weekly unit cost combining all support settings.
Tools & guides
Cost Calculator
Estimate total care costs for 1 month to 5 years. Council rate vs self-funder by region.
Self-Funding Guide
Means test, property rules, how to reduce costs. DPA, CHC, Attendance Allowance explained.
Care Home Fees
What families should check in a weekly quote: top-ups, inclusions, FNC, benefits and fee rises.
Costs by Region
Compare care home costs across 9 English regions. London to North East.
Find a Care Home
Browse 14,800+ CQC-registered care homes by local authority.
Dementia Care Guide
Costs, NHS funding, how to choose, and specialist care homes by area.
Analysis & research
Care Deserts
Areas with the fewest care homes per capita.
Nursing Deserts
Areas without adequate nursing home provision.
Largest Providers
Who owns England's care homes? Market concentration analysis.
Dementia Care Gap
Where specialist dementia care is hardest to find.
Cost vs Supply
Do fewer care homes mean higher prices?
Regional Inequality
North vs South, London vs rest of England.
Guides & articles
How Much Does a Care Home Cost?
National averages, what's included, self-funder premiums.
Who Pays for a Care Home?
Means test explained. Council vs self-funded.
Do I Have to Sell My House?
Property rules, DPAs, 12-week disregard.
Costs by Area
Lower-cost to most expensive councils ranked.
The Postcode Lottery
Why costs vary by 100% across England.
Use this data in your own work
TreatCompare publishes the underlying social care costs dataset under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Free to use with attribution.
Sources & further reading
- NHS England – Adult Social Care Activity and Finance Report (ASC-FR) — Per-local-authority adult social care unit costs
- DHSC – Adult social care — National policy on adult social care funding and reform
- CQC – Care directory — Care home registration, ratings, and inspection reports
- Local authority published fee schedules — Council-specific care fee data from the national cost of care exercise
Data source: NHS England / DHSC Adult Social Care Activity and Finance Report, 2024-25. Last updated 2026-06-01. Original source: NHS England Adult Social Care Activity and Finance Report, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Coverage is currently NHS England only.
Guides & articles
In-depth guides and cost breakdowns from the TreatCompare editorial team.
Care Home Costs by Area UK 2026 — Lower-cost to Most Expensive Councils
Care home costs vary by more than 100% depending on your council area. See the lower-cost and most expensive local authorities for residential and nursing care.
How Much Does a Care Home Cost in the UK? (2026 Data)
Care home costs in England range from £700-£1,400/week depending on your council area. Real NHS England data across 93 local authorities — not estimates.
The Care Home Postcode Lottery: Why Costs Vary by 100% Across England
Residential care costs range from under £700/week to over £1,400/week depending on your council. New analysis of 93 local authorities reveals the scale of the gap.
Do I Have to Sell My House to Pay for a Care Home? (2026 Rules)
Your home is counted in the care home means test — but you don't always have to sell. Deferred Payment Agreements, 12-week disregards, and when your home is exempt.
Who Pays for a Care Home? The Complete UK Funding Guide (2026)
Whether you pay for care depends on your capital. Above £23,250 you're a self-funder. Below £14,250 the council pays. Here's exactly how it works.