Free tool · Updated April 2026
Long-Term Care Cost Calculator (2026 Update)
Interactive calculator with the latest state-by-state median cost of nursing homes, assisted living, and in-home care. Based on the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey.
California is 11% above the U.S. median of $74,400/yr for assisted living.
Source: CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey (data collected July–November 2025). Median figures; individual providers and metropolitan areas vary substantially. This calculator does not estimate Medicare, Medicaid, LTC insurance, or out-of-pocket contributions.
How to use this calculator
- Pick your state. Cost of care varies enormously — assisted living ranges from about 50,400 to over $145,000 per year depending on where you live.
- Pick the type of care. Most families do not go straight to a nursing home. The typical path is: in-home help → assisted living or adult day → nursing home if medical needs become skilled.
- Set realistic years. A person turning 65 today will need about 3 years of paid long-term care on average; 1 in 7 will need care for more than 5 years.
- Pick a growth rate. Long-term care inflation averaged 1.8% in 2025 but surged 9% in 2024; home-care costs rose roughly 50% from 2019 to 2024. 3–4% is a conservative default.
About the data
Numbers come from the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, the successor to the long-running Genworth Cost of Care Survey. CareScout collected 25,000+ rates from providers across every U.S. state between July and November 2025 and published the results in March 2026. Each state result we display links directly to that state's CareScout press release so you can verify the numbers yourself.
Median figures hide enormous variation between metro areas and between providers. Use this calculator for planning, not for exact budgeting. For specific facilities, get written quotes — and read our long-term care planning guide for the full workflow.
Related reading
- → Long-Term Care Cost by State: 2026 Report — our full white paper with state rankings, scenarios, and how-to-pay analysis.
- → 50 Statistics About Aging Parents in 2026 — the primary-source reference for caregiving, LTC costs, and planning gaps.
- → How to plan for long-term care — decision framework, coverage options, and Medicaid spend-down basics.