A live-in arrangement and an hourly arrangement are not two versions of the same price. They buy different things, and the cost sits in different places. A comparison that only sets hourly rates against a single weekly figure will leave out the room, the food, the days off, and the hours when someone is on call but not working. Those are the costs that decide which arrangement is the real one.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Step 1: Put the Hours on One Page

Write the total weekly hours in the hourly quote. Then write the hours the live-in arrangement covers, as stated in writing. If the live-in paper does not state hours, note that the gap is open and ask for the number.

Hourly quote, total hours per week: ______________

Live-in paper, stated hours per week: ______________

Hours not stated in the live-in paper: ______________

Step 2: Ask What Counts as Paid Time

  1. Is the caregiver paid for every hour present in the home, or only for hours of work?
  2. If the caregiver is awake and called during the night, is that time paid, and at what rate?
  3. If the caregiver sleeps through the night, is that time counted?

Answers to listen for: a plain statement of what is paid and what is not, written on the same page as the rate. An answer that depends on the situation should name the situation.

Step 3: Count the Days Off

Every live-in caregiver needs days away from the house. Ask who covers those days. If the family covers them, write the hours and the cost to the family. If an hourly aide or agency covers them, write that rate and the number of hours. Add the cover to the live-in total, because the arrangement is not complete without it.

Days off per week or month: ______________ Who covers them: ______________ Cost of cover: ______________

Step 4: Count the Room, Food, and Household Costs

  1. Which room is assigned, and does it have a private bathroom or a shared one?
  2. Who buys food for the caregiver, and are meals included in writing?
  3. Who pays for utilities, phone, and laundry used by the caregiver?
  4. What is the house policy on guests, and is it in the paper?

Write each answer next to the cost it adds. A room that the family already furnishes still costs something in use, and the answer should say so.

What it costs: The Missouri median for non-medical in-home care is $33 an hour, per the CareScout (Genworth) Cost of Care Survey 2025 state data tables, released March 2026. New Plan Care's standard rate is $34 an hour with a four-hour minimum, so a visit starts at $136 (newplancare.com/services).

Signs to Walk Away

  • The live-in quote shows a single figure with no written answer on days off, meals, or overnight time.
  • The savings are claimed with no arithmetic you can check.
  • The room is described only as a space, with no statement of bathroom access or privacy.

The Comparison Sheet

Put both arrangements on one page with the same rows: hours covered, days off and who covers them, room, food, utilities, overnight time, and total weekly cost to the family. Compare only rows that have an answer on both sides. A blank row is a question to send back, not a number to fill in yourself.

Biggest cost driver we found, in one sentence: ____________________________________________