The Cost of Care Calculator
What care actually costs, and how long the money lasts.
The Cost of Care Calculator · Care Without Crisis™ · Presented by Vanguard Care Solutions
The Cost of Care Calculator is a free educational tool published by Vanguard Care Solutions as part of the Care Without Crisis™ initiative. Its sole purpose is to help families understand the general cost of long-term care and think through how long available funds might last. It is general information and nothing more.
Every dollar figure produced by this tool is a general market estimate for planning purposes. It is not a quote, a bid, an offer, a price list, or a representation of what any provider charges. Vanguard Care Solutions does not publish its rates here and no figure on this page should be understood as a Vanguard Care Solutions or Vanguard Home Care price. Actual pricing for care is tailored to each care plan and is determined only after an assessment by a registered nurse. Rates vary by provider, by level of care, by geography, and over time.
Cost figures are drawn from the CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, conducted July through November 2025 and published in March 2026, available at carescout.com/cost-of-care. CareScout medians are reproduced here in summary form for educational purposes; CareScout is not affiliated with Vanguard Care Solutions and does not endorse this tool. Two figures are not CareScout data and are labeled as such on the results page: the live-in daily rate, which is a local market observation because CareScout does not survey live-in care, and the memory care figure, which is modeled at assisted living plus 25% because CareScout does not report memory care as a separate category. A median is the middle of a surveyed range, not a price; the cost of any particular provider may differ significantly from it. Survey data may be out of date, may not reflect your immediate area, and is not independently verified by Vanguard Care Solutions. Projections assume a fixed annual rate of increase that may not match actual experience. Confirm any figure that matters with the providers you are actually considering.
Nothing produced by this tool is financial, investment, tax, accounting, insurance, or benefits-eligibility advice. Calculations of how long savings may last are arithmetic illustrations based on figures you supply and assumptions stated on the page. They are not projections about your family, do not account for taxes, investment returns, inflation other than the stated care-cost assumption, other expenses, or changes in circumstance, and must not be relied on for financial planning. Consult a qualified licensed professional who knows your circumstances.
References to Medicaid, spend-down, asset transfers, look-back periods, powers of attorney, or any other legal topic are general descriptions provided for education only. They are not legal advice and no attorney–client relationship is created by using this tool. Laws vary by state, change over time, and apply differently to different facts. Consult an attorney licensed in the relevant jurisdiction before acting, and in particular before spending down or transferring any assets.
Questions about how much help someone needs, and any suggestion about a level of care, are educational prompts only. They are not a clinical assessment, a diagnosis, or a recommendation for or against any course of care, and no physician–patient or clinician–patient relationship is created. Always consult a licensed physician or other qualified health professional. In an emergency, call 911.
Descriptions of what Medicare does and does not cover, coinsurance amounts, day limits, and eligibility conditions are general summaries of federal rules as published by the administering agencies, and are current only as of the date shown on the results page. These amounts are reset periodically, generally each January. Eligibility for Medicare, Medicaid, or any veterans benefit is determined solely by the administering agency, not by Vanguard Care Solutions and not by this tool. Verify all current figures and rules directly with the agency or a qualified licensed professional.
Using this tool, receiving a copy of your figures by email, or corresponding with Vanguard Care Solutions about it does not create a professional, fiduciary, advisory, or care relationship of any kind, and does not make anyone a client of Vanguard Care Solutions or Vanguard Home Care.
Care Without Crisis™ is the educational and advocacy initiative of Vanguard Care Solutions. It is not a care provider, is not an emergency or rapid-response service, and does not deliver hands-on care. Where care is requested, it is provided by our licensed affiliate Vanguard Home Care, LLC, Maryland Residential Service Agency license RSA-03309, under COMAR 10.07.05.
Your answers are held in your browser for the length of your session and are not stored on any server. If you ask us to email you a copy, we transmit only your name, your email address, the arrangement and setting you selected, the resulting estimate, and any consents you gave. The income and savings amounts you enter are used only in your browser to produce the illustration and are never transmitted. We do not sell, rent, or share your address.
This tool is provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including any warranty of accuracy, completeness, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. Vanguard Care Solutions does not warrant that the figures are accurate, current, or applicable to your circumstances.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Vanguard Care Solutions and its affiliates are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from use of, or reliance on, this tool or anything it produces, including any financial decision made in reliance on an estimate shown here.
Vanguard Care Solutions may modify, suspend, or discontinue this tool or these terms at any time without notice. Cost figures are updated periodically; the verification date shown on the results page indicates when the figures were last reviewed.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles.
Vanguard Care Solutions · info@vanguardcaresolutions.com · 301-327-1444