“We’ll just keep Mom at home — it’s cheaper.” It’s one of the most common assumptions families make, and sometimes it’s true. But the real answer depends on how much help your parent needs, and on costs that rarely make it into the first comparison.

Here’s how the numbers compare in South Carolina, using the most recent CareScout Cost of Care Survey.

The Headline Numbers

For 2025, CareScout reports these South Carolina medians:

• Assisted living: $64,200 a year, about $5,350 a month, for a private one-bedroom
• Non-medical in-home care: $71,786 a year, based on 44 hours of care per week

Nationally, the median is $6,200 a month for assisted living and $35 an hour for in-home care.

At first glance, part-time home care and assisted living look similar. But notice the fine print: the home care figure buys 44 hours a week. There are 168 hours in a week.

Look Closely at How Care Is Priced

Before comparing any assisted living community with home care, understand how the community prices care. Many charge a base monthly rent plus level-of-care fees — tiers or points that rise as a resident needs more help with bathing, dressing, medications or mobility. A community that looks affordable at move-in can cost considerably more a year later.

Others use a single all-inclusive rate. Some smaller communities — Stratford Place, serving families near Mount Pleasant, is one example — build housing, meals, medication management, personal care and activities into one monthly price with no level-of-care fees. Whichever model you’re looking at, ask for a written list of what’s included, how care levels are assessed, and how much prices rose over the last three years.

When Home Care Stops Being Cheaper

The cost of home care scales with hours. Using CareScout’s South Carolina figure — which works out to roughly $31 an hour — here’s what different levels of help look like over a year (our arithmetic, based on that rate):

• 20 hours a week: about $32,600
• 44 hours a week: about $71,800
• Around-the-clock care, 168 hours a week: about $274,000

The moment a parent can’t safely be alone — at night, for instance, or because of wandering — the math shifts dramatically in favor of a residential setting, where overnight staff are part of the model.

The Hidden Costs of Staying Home

Home care hours aren’t the only expense of aging in place. Families should also budget for:

• Housing costs that don’t go away: mortgage or rent, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance and maintenance
• Home modifications: grab bars, ramps, walk-in showers, stairlifts and better lighting
• Food, utilities and transportation: groceries, meal delivery, rides to appointments
• Emergency response systems and medication management tools
• Unpaid family caregiving: lost wages, reduced hours and the toll on the caregiver’s own health

That last cost is real, even if it never shows up on an invoice. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that unpaid dementia caregivers alone provided more than 19 billion hours of care in 2025.

Read: How Much Does a Healing Center Remain?

What Assisted Living Includes

A typical assisted living rate covers housing, utilities, meals, housekeeping, laundry, activities and help with daily tasks, plus staff available 24 hours a day. What varies is how care, medication management and memory care are billed, which is why the pricing questions above matter.

How Families Pay for Either Option

Many families assume Medicare will help. It generally won’t: Medicare.gov states that Medicare and most health insurance, including Medigap, don’t pay for long-term care services, whether at home or in a community. That leaves a handful of common funding sources:

• Savings, pensions and home equity: the proceeds from selling a family home often fund assisted living for several years.
• Long-term care insurance: policies vary widely, so check the elimination period and whether assisted living and home care are both covered.
• Veterans’ benefits: VA Aid and Attendance adds a monthly amount to a VA pension for qualifying veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding and dressing.
• Medicaid programs: for people with limited income and assets, some state programs help with care costs. Eligibility rules are complex, so talk to an elder law attorney or your Area Agency on Aging.

Making the Decision

Cost matters, but it isn’t the only factor. Consider:

• Safety: Is your parent at risk of falls, wandering or medication errors?
• Isolation: Does your parent go days without meaningful conversation?
• Caregiver capacity: Is the family caregiver sleeping, working and staying healthy?
• Trajectory: Are needs likely to grow over the next two years?

For many families, home care works well in the early stages, and assisted living becomes the better value once needs grow to include nights, supervision or memory support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is assisted living cheaper than home care in South Carolina?

Often, yes, once care needs pass about 40 hours a week. CareScout’s 2025 data puts SC assisted living at $64,200 a year and in-home care at $71,786 a year for 44 hours of care weekly.

What are level-of-care fees?

They are additional monthly charges some assisted living communities add on top of base rent as a resident needs more help. Always ask how care levels are assessed and priced.

How much does 24-hour home care cost in South Carolina?

Based on CareScout’s 2025 South Carolina rate of about $31 an hour, around-the-clock care would cost roughly $274,000 a year.

What costs are included in assisted living?

Typically housing, utilities, meals, housekeeping, laundry, activities and personal care support, with 24-hour staff. Care fees and memory care may be billed separately depending on the community.

Author’s Bio:

Author is a senior-care writer who helps families navigate assisted living, memory care and caregiving decisions.

The post Aging in Place vs. Assisted Living in South Carolina: What the Numbers Really Say appeared first on Nursing Skillset.