Idaho Home Care at $38 an Hour: When Assisted Living Costs Less

An unusual pair of numbers

In most states, families assume staying home is the cheaper option. In Idaho the numbers point the other way sooner than expected. CareScout's 2025 survey ranks Idaho 16th highest for non-medical home care, at $38 an hour or $88,088 a year for 44 hours a week, and 44th of 50 for assisted living, at $62,100 a year. The national medians are $80,080 and $74,400.

That gap shapes decisions across the Treasure Valley, especially for families who moved here from states where home care is cheaper.

The break-even table

Monthly cost = hourly median x hours x 52 / 12. CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, Idaho.

Round-the-clock care at home, 168 hours a week, would run more than $27,000 a month at the median hourly rate, which is why live-in and overnight arrangements are priced differently. Even so, full-time care at home rarely costs less than assisted living in Idaho.

What the table leaves out

At home, the family still pays the mortgage or rent, property taxes, utilities, food, repairs and transportation. In assisted living, most of those are inside one monthly charge. On the other side, assisted living adds level-of-care fees as needs rise, and memory care adds more.

Family caregiving changes everything. If a daughter covers nights and weekends, ten or fifteen paid hours a week may be all that is needed, and home stays cheaper for a long time.

Medicaid changes the math again

For people who qualify, Idaho Medicaid's Aged and Disabled waiver can pay for personal care and homemaker services at home, and for care services in assisted living that accepts Medicaid. Room and board in a facility is still the resident's responsibility.

Ask IDHW ((877) 456-1233) or the Area 3 agency ((208) 898-7060) about eligibility before deciding a move is unaffordable.

Money is only half the decision

Night-time safety, loneliness and the caregiver's health often decide the question before the spreadsheet does. A parent who is anxious alone at night may be happier with staff awake down the hall, and Idaho requires RALF staff to be up and awake during residents' sleeping hours.

Run the numbers, then visit. The right answer is the one your parent can live with well.

Questions to ask a home care agency

Ask for the hourly rate, the minimum shift, and separate rates for overnight, live-in, weekend and holiday care. Ask how caregivers are screened and trained, who supervises them, and what happens when the regular caregiver is sick. Get the rate sheet in writing, along with the notice period for increases.

If you are comparing with assisted living, ask the RALF for its level-of-care pricing at the same time, so both quotes describe the same needs.

Mixing the two

Some families use paid home care for a few months while touring and planning a move, then keep a familiar caregiver for visits after the move. Others move to assisted living and add a private companion a few hours a week. Idaho's rules require the admission agreement to disclose any restriction on outside personal care providers, so check before hiring.

The best plan is the one that keeps your parent safe without exhausting the family.

Where the $38 figure comes from

CareScout surveys providers in every state each year and publishes medians: half of the quotes fall above the figure and half below. In a fast-growing region like the Treasure Valley, local agency rates can differ noticeably from the statewide median, and rural travel can add to the cost. Treat $38 an hour as a benchmark for comparing quotes, not a price you will be charged.