Paying for care
What home care costs in San Diego in 2026
Many agencies only give a number on the phone. Ours is on this page: $40 to $48 an hour. Here’s what that comes to for the schedules families actually book, and what else shows up on the bill.
By Mildred Kiminyei, RN · Published
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The simple math
Home care is billed by the hour. To estimate a month, multiply the hourly rate by the hours of care each week, then by 4.3, the average number of weeks in a month.
Our rates run from $40 to $48 an hour. Where your rate lands depends on the care and the schedule. We give you the exact number on the first call, and it goes into the written service agreement before care starts.
What common schedules cost
Every visit is at least four hours. These totals use our lowest and highest hourly rate.
- 4 hours, 2 days a week (8 hours)
- About $1,360 to $1,632 a month. Often where respite starts, or help with bathing twice a week.
- 4 hours, 3 days a week (12 hours)
- About $2,080 to $2,496 a month. A common schedule for personal or companion care for someone who lives alone.
- 4 hours, every weekday (20 hours)
- About $3,440 to $4,128 a month. Weekday mornings covered, with family at weekends.
- 4 hours, every day (28 hours)
- About $4,800 to $5,760 a month. A daily visit, often for getting up, washing, dressing, and breakfast.
- 8 hours, every weekday (40 hours)
- About $6,880 to $8,256 a month. The working day covered while the family is at work.
- 12 hours, every day (84 hours)
- About $14,440 to $17,328 a month. Every day or every night covered, with family doing the other half.
- Around the clock, in shifts
- About $29,200 to $35,040 a month, because every hour is billed. Live-in care costs less; see below.
24-hour shift care or live-in care
Round-the-clock care can be staffed two ways, and the price is very different. With shift care, caregivers take turns and someone is always awake, so every hour is billed. With live-in care, one caregiver stays in the home for several days and gets a proper block of sleep, so it’s quoted as a daily rate and costs less.
Live-in care only works if your parent sleeps through most nights. That’s why we quote the daily rate after we understand the nights, not before. More on how each works is on our 24-hour and live-in care page.
The rest of the bill
The hourly rate is only part of the cost. Ask any agency about each of these. Here are ours:
- Minimum visit: 4 hours.
- Holidays: billed at 1.5 times the hourly rate. A four-hour holiday visit at $40 an hour comes to $240, instead of $160.
- Deposit: $500.
- Cancelling a visit: 12 hours’ notice.
- Billing: every two weeks, for the hours of care provided.
- Ways to pay: check, card, bank transfer (ACH), or Zelle.
What makes care cost more or less
- The number of hours. This matters more than anything else. Twenty hours a week costs two and a half times as much as eight hours, whatever the rate.
- Nights. Someone who needs help at night needs an awake caregiver, which means shift care rather than live-in.
- The kind of care. Hands-on help with bathing and transfers, or care for someone with dementia, needs more experienced caregivers than companionship alone.
- Holidays. Holiday visits are billed at time and a half, so a schedule that runs through the holidays costs more those weeks.
An agency, a private caregiver, or IHSS
Hiring a caregiver privately usually costs less per hour. The trade-off is that you become the employer: payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, background checks, and finding cover when the caregiver is sick. An agency’s rate includes all of that.
Medi-Cal’s In-Home Supportive Services program (IHSS) pays a caregiver the person chooses, often a family member, for people with low income who qualify. It doesn’t pay private agencies. Some families use their IHSS hours and pay an agency privately for the hours IHSS doesn’t cover.
Help paying for it
- Long-term care insurance often pays for care from a licensed agency after a waiting period. We give you an invoice with each bill to send to your insurer.
- VA Aid and Attendance adds a monthly amount to a VA pension for eligible veterans and surviving spouses. Families use it toward the bill.
- Medicare doesn’t pay for ongoing non-medical home care. It pays for short-term home health visits from a nurse or therapist when a doctor orders them.
- Medicare GUIDE. People with dementia on traditional Medicare may qualify for a program that includes some respite. See how Medicare GUIDE works.
The full rundown, including the paperwork for each, is on our paying for care page.
Common questions
How much does a caregiver cost per hour in San Diego?
Rates vary by agency. Ours run from $40 to $48 an hour, depending on the care and the schedule, with a four-hour minimum visit.
Is home care cheaper than assisted living?
For a few hours a day, usually yes. For round-the-clock shift care, usually no. Home care costs the same per hour whether someone needs a little help or a lot, so it’s most affordable when fewer hours are needed.
Do you charge for the consultation?
No. The in-home consultation is free, and you get your rate in writing before you commit to anything.
Request a free in-home consultation
Tell us what’s going on and we’ll call you back to talk it through and set up a visit at the home. The consultation is free.
If it’s urgent, call instead of using the form.
- (858) 380-9599
- love@pendaseniorhomecare.com
- Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Care available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week