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What In-Home Care Costs

North Carolina's median non-medical home care runs roughly $5,720/month for a 44-hour week, and the point where assisted living becomes cheaper.

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Short answer

North Carolina's 2025 CareScout survey puts non-medical home care at roughly $5,720/month for a typical 44-hour week -- close to, but generally under, the state's $6,496/month assisted living median. The math tips toward assisted living once care needs push past roughly 40-50 hours a week.

The crossover point

Home care is billed hourly; assisted living is a flat monthly rate. As weekly hours climb, home care's cost climbs with it, while a community's rate stays fixed regardless of how much hands-on help a resident actually needs that week.

CommunityCare typeAddressCounty
Brookdale North RaleighIndependent Living1200 Carlos Drive
Raleigh, OH 27609		Wake
Amedisys Home Health Care - RaleighHome Health & Home Care3921 Sunset Ridge Rd, Suite 102
Raleigh, OH 27607		Wake
Get your own numbers. CareScout's figure is a statewide average, not a Triangle-specific quote. Ask any home care agency for their current hourly rate and any minimum shift length before comparing.
What senior care costs. NC's statewide median is $6,496/month for assisted living, per the 2025 CareScout Cost of Care Survey (formerly the Genworth Cost of Care Survey). No metro-specific or memory-care figure is published. Read the full explanation →

Questions families ask

Can I trust glowing online reviews of an assisted living facility in Durham, or should I check something official first?

Online reviews aren't part of North Carolina's regulatory oversight and can't substitute for it — the official sources are DHSR's Regulated Facilities search to confirm licensure and DHSR's ACLS Facility Inspections, Ratings and Penalties search (info.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/acls/star/search.asp) to review actual inspection findings, corrective action history, and any penalties within the last 36 months. Reviews can supplement that picture but shouldn't replace checking the state's own compliance record.

Will NC Medicaid pay for the room-and-board cost of an assisted living community in Cary?

Not directly — North Carolina does not have a Medicaid HCBS waiver covering room and board in assisted living/adult care homes (there is no 'CAP/AL' equivalent). Instead, eligible low-income residents can receive State/County Special Assistance (SA), a state- and county-funded cash supplement toward room and board, and SA recipients automatically become eligible for Medicaid, which can then cover medical and personal care services layered on top.

What exactly does the CAP/DA Medicaid waiver cover for a parent aging in place in Apex?

The Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults (CAP/DA) is North Carolina's Medicaid 1915(c) home- and community-based services waiver for adults 18+ who need a nursing-facility level of care but want to remain at home. It covers up to 18 in-home and community-based services, including adult day health, in-home aide services, home modifications and equipment, meal preparation, respite care, personal emergency response systems, and consumer-directed care that lets the beneficiary hire and supervise their own caregiver.

How do I actually apply for CAP/DA if my mother lives in Raleigh?

Apply for long-term-care Medicaid generally through Wake County's Department of Social Services, and apply for CAP/DA specifically by contacting a local CAP/DA case management entity serving Wake County; the CAP/DA program is administered overall by the NC Division of Health Benefits/NC Medicaid within NCDHHS. The NC Medicaid Contact Center (888-245-0179) can help direct families to the correct local starting point.

Is CAP/DA the same thing as Medicaid paying for assisted living in Wake County?

No. CAP/DA is a home- and community-based waiver that serves people living in their own home, not in a licensed adult care home or assisted living facility, so it does not pay for assisted living room and board or services. North Carolina has no Medicaid waiver dedicated to assisted living; room and board there is instead covered through the non-Medicaid State/County Special Assistance program.

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