How much does home care cost in Exeter?

If you are reading this at eleven at night with a parent who has just had a fall, you want a number. So here is the honest version: in Exeter in 2026, an hour of home care costs anywhere from about £20 to about £38, depending on who provides it, and the gap between those figures is mostly about where the money goes. This post sets out what agencies charge, what live-in care and care homes cost for comparison, when the council pays, and how to read a quote so you are comparing like with like.

I should say who is writing this. I am a self-employed carer in Exeter, engaged directly by each client, and my own rate is on the rates page. I have tried to keep this post fair to agencies, because they are the right answer for some families, and I would rather you chose well than chose me.

The short answer

What	Typical cost in 2026	Notes
Agency home care, hourly	£26 to £38 an hour	National median about £31. Thirty minute visits are common
Independent carer, hourly	£20 to £40 an hour with me	One fixed figure agreed in writing. Minimum visit one hour
Live-in care	about £1,300 a week	One carer living in, plus board. Relief carer extra
Residential care home, South West	about £1,340 a week	Nursing care about £1,600 a week

The agency, live-in and care home figures come from the two largest UK care directories, homecare.co.uk and carehome.co.uk, and from Lottie’s care index, all published in 2026. They are averages, so a quote in Exeter can sit either side of them.

What an agency hour actually pays for

An agency in Exeter will quote you an hourly rate, usually somewhere in the high twenties to mid thirties for a private client. That rate has to cover the carer’s wages, which from April 2026 start at the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour, plus their travel time between calls, holiday pay, pension, training, uniforms, a manager, an office, a coordinator and the registration and inspection that go with running an agency. The Homecare Association, which represents agencies, calculated that an agency needed at least £32.14 an hour in 2025 to deliver care properly and pay its carers fairly. Many councils pay less than that, which is why agency carers are so often rushed.

None of that is a criticism. An agency can send a different carer when yours is ill, and that cover is a real thing you are paying for. But it means that of a £32 hour, something under half reaches the person who turns up at the door.

What an independent carer hour pays for

When you engage a self-employed carer directly, the hourly rate pays for one thing, which is the carer’s time. There is no office, no coordinator and no margin. That is why an independent carer can charge less than an agency and still earn more than an agency carer does.

My rate is between £20 and £40 an hour. Where in that range depends on what is needed, and I give you one fixed figure at the free first visit, in writing, before anything is agreed. It is all in. Mileage is included, there is no VAT to add, and there is no registration fee, assessment fee or booking fee. The trade-off, and I put this on every page of the site because it matters, is that I work alone and cannot send a replacement when I am ill or away. You keep a backup arrangement, and I help you set one up before we start.

The minimum visit changes the sums

An hourly rate on its own tells you less than you would think, because the length of the visit matters as much as the price of it. Many agencies offer thirty minute calls, and some still offer fifteen. A thirty minute call at £30 an hour costs £15, which looks cheap until you work out what can actually be done in thirty minutes once the carer has parked, come in and written up their notes.

My minimum visit is one hour. Anything shorter is a box being ticked, and I do not offer it. So when you compare quotes, compare what a week of the help you actually need would cost, not the headline rate.

How a week adds up

Here is what some common patterns cost with me, at both ends of my range.

• Three mornings a week, one hour each: £60 to £120 a week.
• Every weekday morning, one hour: £100 to £200 a week.
• Every weekday, a morning hour and an afternoon hour: £200 to £400 a week.
• Two afternoons a week, two hours each, for company and getting out: £80 to £160 a week.

Set those against a residential care home in the South West at around £1,340 a week, or nursing care at around £1,600, and you can see why most families start with a few hours of help at home and only think about anything bigger when the need genuinely outgrows it.

Live-in care, for comparison

If someone needs help through the day and somebody in the house at night, live-in care is the usual alternative to a care home. A live-in carer costs around £1,300 a week on the national average, with higher figures for dementia or complex needs, and you also provide a room and meals. There are usually two carers who alternate, so the person is cared for by more than one face. I do not offer live-in or overnight care. If that is what is needed, I will say so at the first call and point you towards a service that does.

When Devon County Council pays

Whether the council pays towards care at home depends on two tests: a needs assessment, and a financial assessment. The financial part works like this in Devon.

• Savings and capital above £23,250: you pay the full cost of your care.
• Between £14,250 and £23,250: the council contributes, but you pay a tariff of £1 a week for every £250 of savings in that band, as well as a contribution from income.
• Below £14,250: your savings are ignored and any contribution comes from income alone.

The council is careful to say that what you are charged can never be more than the cost of the care you receive. If the council does agree to fund some care, you can ask for the money as a direct payment and use it to arrange your own support rather than taking a provider the council chooses. Plenty of people use a direct payment to engage a self-employed carer. The council will want to see that whoever you engage is insured and DBS checked, and will usually want a record of hours, all of which I keep anyway.

The starting point is to ask Devon County Council for a needs assessment. A family member can request it. I can explain what the council will ask for, though I cannot apply on your behalf.

Paying privately

Most families around Exeter pay for home care themselves, either because their savings are over the threshold or because they would rather not wait for an assessment. With me that is a written agreement, an invoice and a bank transfer. My usual arrangement is a minimum term of three months, paid in advance, which is open for discussion at the free first visit. A son or daughter can pay on a parent’s behalf. And if money is tight, say so at the first visit. A smaller pattern of visits you can sustain is better than a larger one you have to stop.

How to read any quote

Whoever you are talking to, agency or independent, ask these five questions before you sign anything.

1. What is the minimum visit length? Fifteen, thirty or sixty minutes changes everything.
2. Is travel or mileage charged on top? Some agencies add it. With me it is included.
3. Is there a different rate for evenings, weekends or bank holidays? Often yes. With me there is one figure for your arrangement.
4. What happens if the carer cannot come? An agency sends someone else. I cannot, and I say so.
5. Is the price in writing before anything starts? It should be. Mine is.

If you want a figure for your own situation, ring me on 07359 980100 and tell me what a week looks like at the moment. I will give you an idea of the cost on the phone, and the fixed figure at the free first visit. If I am not the right fit, I will say so and point you somewhere that is.