A care home in England costs a typical £1,520 a week in Q4 2026: £1,450 for residential care and £1,690 for nursing care. Home care costs a typical £33.50 an hour.
Region matters most. Residential care is most expensive in London, at £1,620 a week, and least expensive in the North East, at £1,230.
Typical fees by region, Q4 2026 (October to December)
| Region | Residential (week) | Nursing (week) | Home care (hour) | Change since last quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | £1,620 | £1,870 | £37.50 | – |
| South East | £1,560 | £1,850 | £33.50 | – |
| East of England | £1,500 | £1,690 | £33.50 | – |
| South West | £1,450 | £1,690 | £33.50 | – |
| West Midlands | £1,300 | £1,540 | £33.50 | – |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £1,270 | £1,560 | £33.50 | – |
| North West | £1,260 | £1,580 | £33.50 | – |
| East Midlands | £1,250 | £1,540 | £33.50 | – |
| North East | £1,230 | £1,370 | £33.50 | – |
| England | £1,450 | £1,690 | £33.50 | – |
This is the first edition of the Index, so there is no earlier quarter to compare with yet. From the next edition, this column shows the change in each region's typical weekly care home fee. Fees are modelled typical self-funder prices, not quotes.
Source: Care Fees and Quality Index, Q4 2026 (October to December), with the method on that page. CQC data under the Open Government Licence; our figures under CC BY 4.0: credit The Care Panel and link to the source page. Figures update automatically with each edition.
What drives the differences
- Wages and property costs: London and the South East pay more for both.
- The mix of self-funders: in wealthier areas more residents pay for themselves, and homes price for that market.
- Council rates: where councils pay less for funded places, self-funders often pay more to make up the difference.
Your own area
Every council area has its own figures on the care home costs and home care costs pages. To see what you would pay after the means test, use What will I pay?, and read how much a care home costs for what is included.
Method
These are modelled typical self-funder prices for each service, built from published regional benchmarks and adjusted for the type of care and operator, then summarised as medians. Where a provider has given us its own fees, we use them. They are not quotes. The full method and CSV are on the Care Fees and Quality Index page; we publish a new edition each quarter.
Questions people ask
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- Typical local prices for care homes and nursing homes
- What the council and the NHS may pay, with the 2026/27 savings limits
- The best-rated services near you, from the CQC register
Find care homes near you
- Care homes in Kingston upon Hull 60
- Care homes in Eastbourne 57
- Care homes in Wolverhampton 50
- Care homes in Hillingdon 48
- Care homes in Waltham Forest 46
- Care homes in Enfield 82
- Care homes in Worthing 67
- Care homes in Bournemouth 62
All care homes in England by town → · Search by postcode
Highly rated care homes in England
- Alsley Lodge Outstanding · Ormskirk
- Birchwood Outstanding · Chesham
- Castleford House Nursing Home Outstanding · Chepstow
- Cleeve Lodge Outstanding · Reading
Rated by CQC in the last three years. Nobody pays to appear here.
Care homes by county
- Salford
- Bracknell Forest
- Portsmouth
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Swindon
- Staffordshire
- Doncaster
- Wakefield
- Rutland
- Southend-on-Sea
- North Tyneside
- Cheshire East
Care costs by council
- Care costs in Wigan
- Care costs in Windsor and Maidenhead
- Care costs in Herefordshire, County of
- Care costs in North East Lincolnshire
- Care costs in Central Bedfordshire
- Care costs in Greenwich
- Care costs in Tower Hamlets
- Care costs in Bury
Related guides
Free download
Choosing a care home: the 40-point checklist
Print it before visiting: three columns, 40 questions on care, staffing, rooms, costs and the contract.
Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 21 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.