Cost is one part of the decision.
Price matters. So does what each option means for her days: whether she stays in her own home, how much help she actually gets, and who is there when something changes.
What to weigh besides price.
Where she lives. The kind of help she needs. How many hours of help each week. Her own space and routines. A care plan written for her. How easy the company is to reach.
What care at home costs in Georgia.
The median rate for a non-medical caregiver in Georgia is $32 an hour, against $35 an hour nationally. Georgia is one of the less expensive states for this kind of care: 39th of 51 states and the District of Columbia on cost.
The same survey publishes a Georgia monthly median of $6,101. Read that as a full-time number, not a starting point: it assumes 44 hours of care a week, every week. Most families begin with far fewer hours, and the hours she needs move the bill more than any hourly rate does.
Metro Atlanta costs the same as the rest of Georgia for care at home. The Atlanta median is also $32 an hour, which surprises most families. Atlanta is more expensive than the Georgia average for facility care, at about $5,600 a month for assisted living against $5,300 statewide, and $9,885 against $9,429 for a private nursing home room. Across the state the hourly median runs from about $25 in Macon to $36 in Savannah.
Average costs by type of care.
These ranges come from national cost of care surveys. What your family pays depends on where she lives, the care she needs and how many hours of help she has each week.
In-home care$2,253 to $4,957 a month
A caregiver comes to her home and helps with the parts of the day that have become hard: bathing, dressing, meals, light housekeeping and company. Care at home is usually paid by the hour, so the hours she needs shape the bill.
The above cost represents the national average for 20–44 hours of one-to-one care per week.
Adult day health care$58 to $267 a day
A daytime program outside the home with supervision, activities and meals. Families often use it so the person caring for Mom can work or rest.
National median: $95 a day.
Assisted living$4,369 to $12,096 a month
She moves into a community and gets help with daily activities, with meals and staff on site. The survey’s figures are for a private one-bedroom.
National median: $6,200 a month.
Nursing home, shared room$5,627 to $27,831 a month
Round-the-clock nursing and personal care in a facility, for people who need more medical support than assisted living provides.
National median: $9,581 a month.
Nursing home, private room$7,604 to $18,448 a month
The same level of care as a shared room, with a room of her own.
National median: $10,798 a month.
Ask for the real number in writing.
Any agency should tell you its hourly rate, its minimum hours and any extra charges before care begins. Ask for them in writing, including from us.
Next: how families pay for it.
Most families use more than one source. Read how families pay for care at home, or download the family funding guide.
Sources: Genworth Cost of Care Survey (in-home care); CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, surveyed July to November 2025 and published March 2026 (all other care types). Georgia, Atlanta and other Georgia metro figures: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025: ranked state data tables · CareScout Cost of Care tool (Atlanta and Georgia metro rates). In the 2025 survey CareScout reports companion care and personal care together as one “non-medical caregiver” rate. Ranges are not individual provider prices. Rates vary by provider. Reviewed September 17, 2026.