What could long-term care cost in Florida?

Long-term care is the expense most Florida households leave out of their planning, partly because Medicare does not pay for it and that surprises people. This works out what it could cost, using published Florida median figures, and shows the part that is not yet covered.

This calculator needs JavaScript. The method it uses, the Florida cost figures behind it and every assumption are written out below so you can work the numbers through yourself.

How this is calculated

Two numbers matter here and they are not the same. The first is what a year of care costs today. The second is what the whole period costs by the time you are actually paying for it, which is larger because costs keep rising while you wait. This works out both, then subtracts what would already be paying.

Cost when care begins

Today's annual cost is grown at the yearly increase you chose, for the number of years between your age now and the age you are planning for.

cost today x (1 + yearly increase) ^ years until care

Total across the whole period

Each year of care costs more than the one before it, so the total is a growing series rather than the first year multiplied by the number of years.

first-year cost x [(1 + yearly increase) ^ years of care - 1] / yearly increase

Starting assumptions, and where each one comes from

Assumption	Default	Source
Assisted living, Florida	$63,885 a year	Genworth and CareScout Cost of Care Survey, Florida median, 2024
Nursing home, shared room, Florida	$124,100 a year	Same survey, Florida median, 2024
Care at home, full-time, Florida	$68,640 a year	Same survey, Florida median, 2024. The 2025 survey merged homemaker and home health aide into one category, so the Florida split is not carried forward.
Years of care	3 years	HHS ASPE: about three years is the average duration among people who develop a need
Yearly increase in care costs	3%	A working assumption. The 2025 national survey showed 1% to 5% depending on setting; this is not a forecast.

Sources

Important

This is a projection, not a quote or a prediction. It compounds the figures you chose at the rate you chose. Real costs depend on where you live, the level of care you need and how long you need it — none of which is knowable in advance.

Medicare does not pay for custodial long-term care — help with bathing, dressing, eating and moving around. It covers limited skilled nursing after a qualifying hospital stay, which is a different thing.

This is an estimate, not a recommendation. Nothing here is an offer of insurance, and no one at Lifeworth has reviewed your situation.

Your answers stay in your browser. Nothing is sent to us unless you choose to enter your email at the end.

Common questions

Will my health insurance pay for long-term care?

Generally not. Health insurance pays for treatment, not for ongoing help with bathing, dressing and eating, which is what most long-term care is. Medicaid can pay once income and assets are low enough, which usually means spending down savings first.

Why does the cost grow each year?

Care costs have risen year after year, and care usually starts years from now. The 3% starting figure is a working assumption, not a forecast; try higher and lower rates to see how much the answer moves.

What are the ways people pay for care?

Savings and income, long-term care insurance, life insurance or annuities with a long-term care benefit, family help, and Medicaid after spend-down. Most families end up using more than one. Which fits you depends on your health, your savings and who else relies on them.

What could long-term care cost in Florida? v1.1.0 · b96fc30c0298

Where to go next

Coverage