Long-Term Care Cost Calculator

How this calculator works

Enter the current monthly care cost, the number of years of care and the expected yearly cost increase. The calculator totals each year’s cost, raising the monthly amount by your percentage at the start of each new year, and adds them up. It shows how even a modest yearly increase makes later years noticeably more expensive.

Example

Care costs $6,500 a month today, you plan for 3 years, and costs rise 4% a year. The calculator shows: Total Care Cost: $243,484.80.

Tips

• Use a realistic yearly increase. Care costs often rise faster than general inflation, so try several rates.
• Find out whether Medicare, private insurance or long-term care insurance covers any part of the cost, because coverage rules are limited and complicated.
• Meet with an elder-care attorney or financial planner to compare ways to pay for care.

Common questions

Does Medicare pay for long-term care?

Medicare generally covers only limited short-term care after a qualifying stay. Long-term custodial care is mostly paid for from savings, insurance or Medicaid, so check current rules on Medicare.gov.

What yearly increase should I use?

Try a few values, such as 3%, 5% and 7%, to see a range of outcomes.

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Results are estimates only. See our disclaimer.