How Much Does In-Home Care Cost in Virginia in 2026?

In-home care in Virginia costs about $32 an hour for the non-medical help most families start with, which works out to roughly $6,100 a month for 44 hours a week of care.

Skilled help from a home health aide runs a little more, around $33 an hour.

Those Virginia numbers come from the 2024 CareScout Cost of Care Survey.

CareScout’s newer 2025 survey, released in March 2026, puts the national non-medical caregiver rate near $35 an hour, so 2026 costs run a bit higher.

Where you live changes the number a lot.

A family in Arlington pays far more than a family in Wytheville, and round-the-clock care is a different universe of money.

Note: This is general information, not financial or care advice. Rates and program rules are subject to change, so confirm the current details with a provider or financial professional.

In-Home Care Costs in Virginia by the Hour

The hourly rate is where in-home care in Virginia starts, and it splits into two prices.

Non-medical help, the companion and personal care that gets someone bathed, dressed, and fed, ran about $32 an hour in the 2024 CareScout survey, or $73,216 a year at 44 hours a week.

A home health aide, who can handle simple medical tasks, ran about $33 an hour in the same survey.

The gap is small.

Two-thirds of agencies now charge the same rate for both, so many Virginia families pay one price no matter which kind of caregiver walks through the door.

The 2025 survey folded homemaker and aide into a single non-medical caregiver rate, and most Virginia agencies now quote between $30 and $35 an hour to start.

The Monthly Math

The hourly rate looks manageable until you multiply it out for a month of care.

At 44 hours a week, the survey’s benchmark, non-medical care in Virginia comes to about $6,100 a month.

Trim it to 40 hours a week, and you’re near $5,500.

Part-time help of 20 hours a week, enough for meals, a few errands, and a couple of showers, runs closer to $2,800 a month.

That still lands on top of a household budget that’s usually already stretched.

That’s a second rent check.

In-Home Care vs. Home Health Care

People use “in-home care” and “home health care” as if they mean the same thing, and mixing them up can cost you.

In-home care is non-medical.

A companion or personal care aide helps with cooking, laundry, reminders, bathing, and keeping someone company, and no doctor has to order any of it.

Home health care is the skilled kind, the wound care, the physical therapy, the nurse who checks your blood pressure and manages your medications.

A doctor orders that, and it usually comes in short visits, not all-day shifts.

The difference matters at the mailbox.

Insurance treats the two worlds differently, so whether anyone helps you pay often comes down to how the invoice is labeled.

When You Need Care Around the Clock

Full-time in-home care in Virginia moves the price into a range that surprises almost everyone.

True 24/7 coverage, with caregivers rotating in shifts so someone is always awake, generally runs $18,000 to $26,000 a month.

That’s more than a private nursing home room.

A live-in arrangement costs less, since one caregiver stays in the home and sleeps at night, and industry estimates put that range around $10,000 to $16,000 a month.

The trade-off is coverage.

A live-in caregiver has to sleep sometime, so families who need eyes on a loved one at 3 a.m. end up back at the 24/7 price.

Where in Virginia You Live

The same hour of in-home care carries a different price tag depending on which corner of Virginia you call home.

Northern Virginia and the D.C. suburbs sit at the top, where personal care can run $30 to $38 an hour in 2026.

Rates run highest in and around wealthy Fairfax County.

Down in the far southwest, around Bristol, Wytheville, and the coalfield counties, the same care can dip into the low $20s an hour.

That's a $15-an-hour gap.

Richmond, Roanoke, and Virginia Beach land in the middle.

So a Winchester family and a Big Stone Gap family get very different quotes for the very same help.

How Virginia Compares Nationally

For all that in-home care in Virginia costs, the state sits close to the middle of the pack.

The national median for non-medical care was about $33 an hour in the 2024 survey, with a home health aide at $34.

Virginia runs a dollar under both.

That lands Virginia right in the middle.

That puts the state on par with the country, well below high-cost places like Massachusetts and Washington, and a notch above the cheapest Southern states.

Look past the statewide average, though, and the in-state gap is wide.

A retiree in the coalfields pays less than the national median, while a neighbor in McLean pays a good deal more, and both count as Virginia.

Who Pays for In-Home Care in Virginia

The hardest part of in-home care in Virginia is often figuring out who covers the bill because the obvious answer usually doesn't.

Medicare is the big surprise.

It pays only for short-term skilled home health, ordered by a doctor for a homebound patient, and it won't pay for the ongoing bathing, dressing, and companionship that most families need.

Medicaid is the workhorse for those who qualify.

Virginia runs its Medicaid under the Cardinal Care name, and its Commonwealth Coordinated Care Plus (CCC Plus) Waiver covers personal care at home for those who meet both an income limit of about $2,982 a month for a single applicant and a real care need.

Veterans have their own lane.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) runs an Aid and Attendance benefit that can bring a single veteran's monthly pension up to $2,424, or about $1,558 for a surviving spouse, and it can go straight toward a caregiver.

A long-term care insurance policy, if your loved one bought one years ago, reimburses much of this too.

Everyone else pays out of pocket.

FAQ

Quick answers to what Virginia families ask most about the cost of in-home care.

How much does in-home care cost in Virginia?

About $32 an hour for non-medical care and $33 for a home health aide, based on the 2024 CareScout survey. At 44 hours a week, that's roughly $6,100 a month, and 2026 rates run a little higher.

Does Medicare pay for in-home care in Virginia?

Only for short-term skilled care that a doctor orders for a homebound patient. Medicare doesn't cover ongoing non-medical help like bathing, dressing, or companionship.

How much does 24/7 in-home care cost in Virginia?

Round-the-clock care generally runs $18,000 to $26,000 a month. A live-in arrangement, where the caregiver sleeps overnight, costs less, often $10,000 to $16,000.

Can Medicaid help pay for in-home care in Virginia?

Yes. Virginia's Medicaid CCC Plus Waiver, part of Cardinal Care, can cover personal care at home for people who meet the income and care-need limits.

Is in-home care cheaper in some parts of Virginia?

Yes. Rates in rural and southwestern Virginia can run in the low $20s an hour, while Northern Virginia and the D.C. suburbs push toward $38.