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Guide · Reviewed September 29, 2026

How much does 24-hour or live-in home care cost?

The short answer

Care billed by the hour around the clock comes to about $29,200 a month at California’s $40 median hourly rate and $25,550 at the national $35 median. That is our arithmetic on CareScout’s medians.12 Agencies often price round-the-clock care as 12-hour shifts or a daily live-in rate instead, so compare how each agency bills, not just the hourly figure.

The arithmetic

Agencies can price nights and live-in shifts differently from daytime hours, so the real figure can be lower or higher. Use this as a ceiling to compare against a written quote.

Our arithmetic: hourly rate times 24 hours times 365 days, divided by 12. Assumes every hour is billed at the same rate.
Hourly ratePer dayPer month
$35 (national median)$840$25,550
$40 (California median)$960$29,200

24-hour care and live-in care are not the same thing

Agencies use the two terms in different ways, which is why a rate card lists an hourly rate, a 12-hour shift rate and a live-in daily rate on separate lines. When you compare quotes, ask each agency to spell out how many caregivers cover a day and how the day is billed.

California rules that shape how it is staffed

These rules are why one person rarely works every hour of a day. Ask any agency how it staffs a 24-hour case.

  • For a household employer, the state’s household occupations wage order says a live-in employee must have at least twelve consecutive hours free of duty in each 24-hour workday.3
  • Since 1 January 2015, federal rules do not let a third-party employer such as a home care agency claim the companionship or live-in domestic service exemptions, so federal minimum wage and overtime rules apply to its caregivers.4
  • Medicare does not pay for 24-hour-a-day care at home.5

Questions to ask an agency

  • How many caregivers cover each 24 hours, and how long is each shift?
  • Is the caregiver awake overnight, and is that time billed at the same rate?
  • Is a flat daily rate available, and what does it include?
  • What happens if the caregiver is sick or late?
  • When does the overtime rate start?

See what licensed agencies near you charge

Every licensed agency in Los Angeles County is listed, A to Z. Rate cards appear as agencies sign them.

Find licensed agencies

Common questions

Does Medicare pay for 24-hour home care?

No. Medicare lists 24-hour-a-day care at home among the things it does not pay for.5 See does Medicare cover home care.

Is live-in care cheaper than 24-hour shifts?

It can be, but it depends on how the agency prices it. Ask for both quotes in writing and compare the monthly total.

Sources

  1. CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, ranked median costs by state CareScout, accessed 29 Sep 2026
  2. CareScout Cost of Care Survey CareScout, accessed 29 Sep 2026
  3. Wage Order 15, household occupations California Industrial Welfare Commission, accessed 29 Sep 2026
  4. Fact sheet 79: application of the FLSA to domestic service U.S. Department of Labor, accessed 29 Sep 2026
  5. Medicare and Home Health Care (booklet 10969) Medicare.gov, accessed 29 Sep 2026