Private home care (licensed HCO)
$3,467/month mid
$3,033 to $3,900 monthly · $41,600 per year at midpoint · 20 hours/week
Illustrative cost planner
California Care Cost Calculator
Updated September 16, 2026. Reviewed September 16, 2026 against public CDSS, DHCS, Medicare.gov, VA, and CareScout 2025 California tables. County wages, hours, and wait times still change. Official .gov pages decide.
Move the hours slider and pick a setting. Private-pay rows show live dollar totals using published CareScout 2025 California medians plus labeled planning bands. This is a planning estimate, not a quote, not an IHSS hours result, and not an eligibility determination.
Planning estimate only. Not a quote, not a facility admission, not a Medi-Cal or IHSS eligibility result, and not an hours authorization. Rates vary by county, agency, and facility. IHSS hours and provider pay are county and Medi-Cal decisions. We do not calculate IHSS paycheck amounts.
Planning estimate only. Not a quote, not a facility admission, not a Medi-Cal or IHSS eligibility result, and not an hours authorization. Rates vary by county, agency, and facility. IHSS hours and provider pay are county and Medi-Cal decisions. We do not calculate IHSS paycheck amounts. Licensed agencies and facilities set their own private-pay terms. County IHSS staff authorize tasks. County Medi-Cal staff decide coverage and any share of cost. Ask those offices and providers for the number that counts.
Illustrative cost planner
Estimated private-pay cost
Private home care (licensed HCO)
$3,033 to $3,900monthly
- Low
- $3,033
- Midpoint
- $3,467
- High
- $3,900
Annual: $36,400 to $46,800Midpoint $41,600 per year
How this number was calculated
20 hours/week × $40/hour × (52 ÷ 12) weeks = $3,467/month at the midpoint. Low uses $35/hour. High uses $45/hour. 52 ÷ 12 is about 4.33 weeks.
Compare settings at these hours
Live-in home care (hourly framing)
$14,560/month mid
$12,740 to $16,380 monthly · $174,720 per year at midpoint · 84 hours/week
Assisted living (RCFE)
$7,000/month mid
$5,600 to $8,400 monthly · $84,000 per year at midpoint
Memory care
$9,100/month mid
$8,400 to $9,800 monthly · $109,200 per year at midpoint
Nursing home
$13,673/month mid
$12,167 to $15,178 monthly · $164,076 per year at midpoint
IHSS / Medi-Cal path
Wage set by county
Private-pay alternative: $3,033 to $3,900 per month for the same hours.
Assumptions and sources
CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, July through November 2025. California statewide median. Published 2025 by CareScout.
- Private home care midpoint uses the CareScout 2025 California non-medical caregiver median of $40 per hour.
- Assisted living midpoint uses the CareScout 2025 California median of $7,000 per month for a private one-bedroom residential care facility.
- Memory care is a 20% / 30% / 40% planning premium on that assisted living median. CareScout does not publish a separate memory-care row.
- Nursing home low and high are the published semi-private and private-room medians.
- Live-in framing bills 12 hours/day, not 24 times the hourly rate.
- If a county authorizes in-home help, the program may cover those authorized services. A family member may be paid as the provider after enrollment. Hours and the hourly wage are county and Medi-Cal decisions. This planner does not calculate an IHSS paycheck and does not say anyone will receive a set amount.
Paying for care and official pages
Official California sources
Official program pages: CDSS: In-Home Supportive Services, CDSS: IHSS for children, County IHSS offices, CDSS: IHSS providers, CDSS: county IHSS wage rates, CDSS: provider orientation, CDSS: Electronic Visit Verification, CDSS: Electronic Services Portal, DHCS: Medi-Cal, Apply for Medi-Cal, BenefitsCal, CDSS: hearing requests, CDSS: forms catalog, CDSS: IHSS overtime and workweek, DDS: regional centers.