Care home costs: cheapest and most expensive areas revealed

People face a postcode lottery when it comes to both the cost and quality of their care with some areas charging a £400 premium. Find out how your area ranks.

The cost of care homes varies hugely around the country, new research has revealed, with those in the south paying as much as £400 a week more than people in the north.

The quality of care also differs massively, according to the study by TrustedCare, a comparison website for social care services.

It has analysed the Care Quality Commission reports to reveal the quality of care people receive around the country and how much they can expect to pay.

Care home costs

Surprisingly, London doesn’t take the top spot, it ranks third with average weekly costs of £862.50.

Oxfordshire is the most expensive county in England when it comes to care home costs with an average bill of £954.58 per week, followed by Wiltshire with an average £871.81 weekly bill.

In contrast care homes in Lancashire charge an average £531.27 per week, making it the cheapest place to live in a care home in England.

The rankings show a clear north/south divide in price with the top half of the table filled with southern counties and the north making up most of the cheaper half of the table.

If you’re worried about how to manage your care bill look at our guide: how to pay for the cost of care.

Care home quality

The best area for care quality is Worcestershire according to the analysis, with its neighbouring county Herefordshire taking third place and Rutland in third.

West Yorkshire has the lowest score in England for quality of care followed by Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

“The north vs. south divide on quality is certainly something which must be looked at more closely,” says Mark Walford CEO of TrustedCare.

“It isn’t simply internal factors which affect service providers and the overall quality of the care they deliver, the wider market in which they operate has a huge bearing on their performance.

“Local employment market, regulatory and some operating costs are uniform across the country, yet local authority commissioning rates vary hugely across the country and providers in less affluent areas are likely feeling the squeeze.”

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Care home costs vs quality

As with so many things in life expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better – Wiltshire – the second most expensive county is ranked amongst the worst countries for quality of care.

In contrast, Worcestershire which tops the table for quality is mid-table for cost with weekly bills £255 cheaper than in areas which rank lower for quality.

How does your area stack up? You can see for yourself in the table below (it's ranked by most expensive area for care).

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