Live-in care in Surrey starts from £225 per 24 hours with Aims Homecare, around £1,575 a week, while the average self-funded care home place in South East England costs £1,446 a week for residential care and £1,706 a week with nursing, according to carehome.co.uk's 2026 data. The prices are closer than most families expect, and what you get for them is very different.
Choosing between a care home and care at home is rarely just a money decision. But the money question deserves a straight answer, because most of what families find online is vague, and the honest comparison changes how the whole decision looks.
What does each option actually cost in Surrey?
| Option | Typical weekly cost | What the figure is |
|---|---|---|
| Live-in care (one person) | from ~£1,575 | Aims' published rate: from £225 per 24 hours |
| Care home, residential | £1,446 average | carehome.co.uk 2026 self-funder average, South East England |
| Care home, with nursing | £1,706 average | carehome.co.uk 2026 self-funder average, South East England |
| Visiting care, two 30-min visits a day | from £308 | Aims' published rates, same 7 days a week |
| Visiting care, one hour a day | from £196 | Aims' published rates, same 7 days a week |
Three notes on reading that table honestly. Care home averages hide a wide range, many Surrey homes charge well above the regional average, and Surrey County Council's Care Cost Indicator shows typical local figures. Care home fees can also rise with assessed needs, and extras (chiropody, outings, hairdressing) are often billed on top. And live-in care has practical costs of its own: the household keeps running, and the care professional needs a spare bedroom and food.
What do you get for the money with each?
A care home provides a staffed building: accommodation, meals, laundry, activity programmes and staff on site around the clock, shared between all residents. Attention is available, but it is not one-to-one, and daily life runs to the home's rhythms.
Live-in care provides one dedicated care professional supporting one person (or a couple), in their own home, around their own routine. The person keeps their bedroom, garden, neighbours, pets and habits. Support is not shared with anyone else.
Neither is "better" in the abstract. A sociable person who finds an empty house lonely may thrive amid the company of a good care home. Someone deeply attached to home, or living with dementia and settled by familiar surroundings, often does better where everything is already known. Most people, asked, say they would prefer to stay in their own home.
Where the comparison tips decisively: couples
For couples, the numbers stop being close. Two care home places means two fees, at the South East average, roughly £2,892 a week for two residential places. Live-in care for a couple is one care professional and one arrangement, quoted at your free assessment, and it means not being separated after decades together, which for many couples is the real point.
What about needing more care than visits, but less than live-in?
There is a middle path most comparisons skip, and short-term respite care can bridge gaps while you decide. Visiting care can be stacked, morning, lunch, evening and an overnight, and for many people that covers everything a care home would, at lower cost, while staying home. Once someone needs 24-hour care at home, live-in care usually becomes the better value. Our pricing page and the guide to home care costs per hour show how the steps compare.
Who pays, and does funding differ between the two?
The means test is the same national one: for 2026/27, savings above £23,250 mean self-funding, below £14,250 only income counts. But there is one difference families should know: the value of the person's home is ignored in the means test while they (or a partner) live in it, which is relevant when comparing staying at home with moving into residential care. The rules have detail to them, so speak to Surrey County Council's adult social care team on 0300 200 1005 and get impartial guidance from MoneyHelper before making decisions.
Attendance Allowance (£76.70 or £114.60 a week, 2026/27, not means-tested, gov.uk) can be claimed at home. NHS Continuing Healthcare can fund care in full for complex health needs, at home or in a home, the NHS guide explains it. Aims' funding support service helps with the forms.
How do you decide?
Start from the person, not the price list. What does a good ordinary day look like for them, and where does it happen? Then test the finances against the honest numbers above, including the couple question and the extras each option adds. Visit any care home you are considering, more than once, unannounced the second time. And take an assessment for the home care option, because it is free and turns "roughly £1,575" into an exact written figure for your actual situation.
There is no deadline pressure worth respecting here except a real one, like a hospital discharge. These decisions settle better when the person the care is for stays at the centre of them.
Frequently asked questions
Is live-in care cheaper than a care home?
Often comparable or cheaper: Aims' live-in care is from £225 per 24 hours, around £1,575 a week, while the average self-funded South East care home is £1,446 a week for residential and £1,706 with nursing (carehome.co.uk, 2026), and one-to-one care is not shared with other residents.
Is live-in care cheaper than a care home for couples?
Usually by a wide margin. Two care home places means two full fees, roughly £2,892 a week at the South East residential average, while live-in care for a couple is one care professional and one arrangement, quoted at a free assessment, and the couple stays together at home.
What does live-in care include?
A care professional lives in the home and provides the support in the care plan: personal care, medication support, meals, housekeeping, company and overnight reassurance. The household's own bills continue, and the care professional needs a spare bedroom and meals.
Does selling the house come into it?
The person's home is ignored by the council's means test while they or their partner live in it, which can make the two options look financially different than expected. The rules are detailed, take advice from the council and MoneyHelper before any decisions about property.
Can you try home care before deciding about a care home?
Yes, and many families do. Visiting or live-in care can start within 24 to 48 hours of a free assessment, with no long-term commitment implied, a settled few months at home often answers the question better than any brochure comparison.
If you are weighing these options for someone, we will give you the honest version for your actual situation, including, sometimes, that a care home is the right answer. A free assessment, no obligation: 01372 386222, or contact us online.
This article is general information, not advice about your situation. Care costs, funding and property questions depend on individual circumstances, please speak to Surrey County Council's adult social care team, MoneyHelper or an independent adviser about yours.
Last reviewed: 4 August 2026. Written by Sharon Draper, Aims Group Manager, Aims Homecare. Reviewed by Shazad Hashmi, Nominated Individual, BA (Hons). Next review: April 2027.