Cost guide
Cost of elderly care in India: the complete guide
What families actually pay for home care, by level of care, by hours and by city tier — plus the costs that are not in the quote, and how to negotiate without being unfair to the person doing the work.
Indicative prices — placeholder data pending a provider survey
Nobody in India publishes a rate card for home care. Prices are agreed locally, household by household, and they move with the city, the experience of the caregiver, the shift timings and how urgently the family needs someone. That is why two neighbours can give you figures that differ by 40 per cent and both be right.
The bands on this page are indicative placeholders drawn from published cost guides and are marked as such everywhere they appear. They are useful for one thing: working out a realistic budget before you start talking to agencies, so that you are not negotiating while stressed. Replace them with surveyed data from providers in each city tier before anyone treats them as a quote.
The single biggest driver of cost is not the diagnosis. It is how many hours of cover you buy, and when. A person who needs help getting up and bathing for two hours in the morning has a very different bill from someone who cannot be alone at night — even if both have the same medical condition.
Monthly cost by level of care, hours and city tier
All figures are monthly, in rupees, and are placeholder ranges. City tiers are our planning classification, not an official one.
Companion / helper (L1)
Independent in daily activities; needs company, errands, meals and medicine reminders.
| Hours | Smaller town | Tier-2 city | Tier-1 city | Metro city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a few hours a day | ₹6,000–₹10,000 | ₹7,000–₹12,000 | ₹8,000–₹14,000 | ₹9,000–₹16,000 |
| 8–12 hours a day | ₹12,000–₹18,000 | ₹14,000–₹22,000 | ₹16,000–₹26,000 | ₹18,000–₹30,000 |
| night shift, about 12 hours | ₹13,000–₹20,000 | ₹15,000–₹24,000 | ₹18,000–₹28,000 | ₹20,000–₹32,000 |
| 24x7 live-in | ₹25,000–₹38,000 | ₹30,000–₹44,000 | ₹35,000–₹50,000 | ₹38,000–₹55,000 |
Trained attendant (L2)
Needs help with one to three daily activities or mobility. No clinical tasks.
| Hours | Smaller town | Tier-2 city | Tier-1 city | Metro city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a few hours a day | ₹8,000–₹13,000 | ₹9,000–₹15,000 | ₹10,000–₹18,000 | ₹12,000–₹20,000 |
| 8–12 hours a day | ₹15,000–₹25,000 | ₹18,000–₹30,000 | ₹21,000–₹35,000 | ₹24,000–₹40,000 |
| night shift, about 12 hours | ₹16,000–₹26,000 | ₹19,000–₹32,000 | ₹23,000–₹37,000 | ₹26,000–₹42,000 |
| 24x7 live-in | ₹30,000–₹42,000 | ₹35,000–₹50,000 | ₹40,000–₹58,000 | ₹45,000–₹65,000 |
Dementia / high-dependency caregiver (L3)
Confusion or wandering, four or more daily activities needing help, or bedridden without clinical tasks.
| Hours | Smaller town | Tier-2 city | Tier-1 city | Metro city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a few hours a day | ₹9,000–₹15,000 | ₹11,000–₹18,000 | ₹13,000–₹22,000 | ₹15,000–₹25,000 |
| 8–12 hours a day | ₹18,000–₹30,000 | ₹22,000–₹36,000 | ₹26,000–₹44,000 | ₹30,000–₹50,000 |
| night shift, about 12 hours | ₹19,000–₹32,000 | ₹23,000–₹38,000 | ₹28,000–₹46,000 | ₹32,000–₹52,000 |
| 24x7 live-in | ₹34,000–₹50,000 | ₹40,000–₹60,000 | ₹48,000–₹70,000 | ₹55,000–₹80,000 |
Skilled nurse (GNM / BSc nursing level) (L4)
Clinical tasks such as injections, drips, wound dressing, catheter, oxygen or tube feeding.
| Hours | Smaller town | Tier-2 city | Tier-1 city | Metro city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a few hours a day | ₹12,000–₹22,000 | ₹15,000–₹28,000 | ₹18,000–₹34,000 | ₹22,000–₹40,000 |
| 8–12 hours a day | ₹28,000–₹50,000 | ₹34,000–₹60,000 | ₹40,000–₹70,000 | ₹45,000–₹80,000 |
| night shift, about 12 hours | ₹30,000–₹55,000 | ₹37,000–₹65,000 | ₹44,000–₹78,000 | ₹50,000–₹90,000 |
| 24x7 live-in | ₹45,000–₹85,000 | ₹55,000–₹1,00,000 | ₹65,000–₹1,20,000 | ₹70,000–₹1,40,000 |
Indicative price. Last updated 10 October 2026. Prices vary by agency, experience, language and urgency.
What is usually included — and what is not
The monthly figure you are quoted is a salary number dressed up as a package. Ask which of the following it includes, in writing, before you compare two quotes:
Usually included in the salary:
- The caregiver's time for the agreed shift, with the weekly off stated.
- Personal care and, where agreed, cooking for the household.
- Medicines reminders against a written list.
Often excluded — check every time:
- Agency commission — sometimes a one-time placement fee, sometimes a monthly cut from the salary, sometimes both. Ask which, and get it in writing.
- Food and phone — for a live-in, meals are usually the family's responsibility; a phone allowance is sometimes expected.
- Festival and home travel — annual or biannual travel home is a real cost and a real expectation. Agree whether it is paid, and by whom.
- Travel to your home — for shift arrangements, commute time decides who accepts the job and who stays.
- Nursing and physiotherapy — usually charged per visit, on top.
- Equipment and consumables — hospital bed, commode chair, walker, pressure-relieving mattress, diapers, dressings, gloves.
- Medicines — never part of a caregiver's fee.
- Replacement cover — what you pay during a gap between caregivers, if anything.
How to negotiate fairly
Care work is underpaid relative to its difficulty, and the market has no unions, no minimum wage for this category and no standard contract. A family that negotiates hard on salary while leaving hours vague gets a worse outcome than one that pays a fair rate and writes the scope clearly.
- Compare scope, not headline numbers. ₹26,000 for 12 hours is not the same product as ₹26,000 for 8 hours.
- Be explicit about the extras. Food, travel, phone, festival leave — settle them once, in writing, instead of month by month.
- Pay on a fixed date. Late payment is the most common reason a good caregiver leaves.
- Offer a review, not a fight. "We will review after three months, with the agency, if the scope does not change" removes the anxiety from both sides.
- Do not price below the band. A quote well below the local range usually means fewer hours than you think, or an untrained person doing trained work.
Three sample monthly budgets
Scenario 1 — companion, a few hours a day (Tier-2 city)
| Companion, about 4 hours a day | ₹7,000 – ₹12,000 |
|---|---|
| Medicines and groceries (household spend, not salary) | ₹4,000 – ₹8,000 |
| Contingency (10%) | ₹1,100 |
| Physiotherapy visits, twice a week | ₹3,200 – ₹9,600 |
Total: ₹15,300 – ₹30,700 per month
Indicative only. Placeholder data.
Scenario 2 — trained attendant, day shift (Tier-1 city)
| Trained attendant, 8–12 hours a day | ₹21,000 – ₹35,000 |
|---|---|
| Agency fee, if used (one-time or monthly) | ₹0 – ₹5,000 |
| Caregiver meals and phone | ₹1,500 – ₹3,000 |
| Contingency (10%) | ₹2,400 |
Total: ₹24,900 – ₹45,400 per month
Indicative only. Placeholder data.
Scenario 3 — 24x7 cover after a stroke (Metro)
| Live-in attendant for daily living | ₹45,000 – ₹65,000 |
|---|---|
| Skilled nurse visits, three times a week | ₹6,000 – ₹19,500 |
| Physiotherapy visits, twice a week | ₹3,200 – ₹15,600 |
| Wound care consumables and medicines | ₹2,000 – ₹5,000 |
| Contingency (10%) | ₹5,600 |
Total: ₹61,800 – ₹1,20,100 per month
Indicative only. Placeholder data.
When the budget is tighter than the need
If the cost of the right level of care is above what the family can sustain, the answer is to change the shape of the arrangement — never to downgrade the caregiver's qualification. The options families use most:
- Buy only the two hours of cover that carry the real risk (morning and evening).
- Split the shift: a day attendant plus a family member at night.
- Use a nurse-visit model — a nurse two to four times a week for clinical tasks, a trained attendant for everything else.
- Use day-care or respite centres a few days a week instead of full-time help.
- Check eligible government schemes and tax relief before assuming the whole cost is out of pocket — see schemes and benefits.
- Review the arrangement every three months; needs and costs both change faster than families expect.
Run the matcher to see the band for your level of care, your hours and your city — and how your budget compares with it.
FAQ
Questions families ask about cost
How much does a caretaker cost per month in India?
Indicative placeholder bands: a part-time attendant about ₹12,000–₹25,000 a month, a live-in basic attendant about ₹35,000–₹50,000, and skilled nursing or 24x7 specialised care about ₹70,000–₹1,20,000 or more. Metro cities cost more than smaller towns.
What is usually not included in the monthly fee?
Medicines, equipment and consumables, travel if it is a shift arrangement, festival travel, agency commission if charged separately, and any nurse or physiotherapist visits arranged outside the package.
How can we reduce the cost without reducing safety?
Buy the hours that carry the risk instead of a full day, split shifts between an attendant and family, use nurse visits instead of a full-time nurse, or use day-care a few days a week. Never reduce safety by asking an untrained person to do clinical tasks.
Is it cheaper to hire directly rather than through an agency?
The salary is usually the same or slightly lower. The difference is that you take on verification, leave, replacement and payroll yourself. If you live in another city, that trade is often not worth it.
Should I pay monthly or make a one-time payment?
Monthly, on a fixed date, to a bank account in the caregiver’s or agency’s own name, with a receipt. One-time registration fees should be small and refundable in defined circumstances.