Cost guide
Elderly care in Singapore: the options from ageing in place to nursing homes, and what they cost
The short version
- Care for an older parent usually builds in steps: support at home (monitoring, an Active Ageing Centre), then help at home (home personal care, day care, a helper), then residential care (a nursing home).
- Indicative costs before subsidy, from AIC (checked 2 November 2026): home personal care about S$25 an hour, day care from about S$55 a session, nursing homes from about S$3,900 a month.
- Means-tested subsidies were raised from 1 July 2026: up to 95% for home and community care and up to 80% for residential care, for Singapore Citizens born in 1969 or earlier (80% and 75% for younger citizens). The Home Caregiving Grant adds S$200 to S$600 a month.
- Most seniors want to stay at home. A monitoring service (Birdhouse from S$25/month) is often the cheapest step that makes living alone safer for longer.
The options, from least to most support
| Option | What it gives | Indicative cost before subsidy (checked 2 Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Active Ageing Centre | Activities, befriending, referrals, a local contact | Free to join; some activities charge a fee |
| Home monitoring | Alerts when something seems wrong; buttons or sensors | Birdhouse S$25–30/month; BOP Button S$169 + S$20/month; HoME+ price on request |
| Home personal care | Trained care staff help with bathing, dressing, meals, medication reminders at home | About S$25 an hour |
| Day care | A day at a senior care centre: meals, activities, therapy, supervision | From about S$55 a session (S$63 for dementia day care) |
| Domestic helper | Someone living in, for daily help and company | Salary, plus a levy of S$60 a month with a citizen aged 67+ at home (S$300 otherwise), plus insurance and agency fees |
| Nursing home respite | A short stay while the caregiver rests or travels | Open ward from about S$131 a day |
| Nursing home | Full-time residential care with nursing | From about S$3,900 a month, depending on the level of care |
Costs come from AIC’s service pages as indexed on 2 November 2026, before subsidies, and vary by provider and by the level of care. Ask providers for a quote, and AIC for your subsidy.
Subsidies and grants that reduce the cost
- Long-term care subsidies are means-tested by household income. From 1 July 2026, Singapore Citizens can receive up to 80% for home and community care and up to 75% for residential care, rising to 95% and 80% for those born in 1969 or earlier. Permanent residents receive less.
- Home Caregiving Grant: S$200 to S$600 a month in cash for families caring at home for someone who needs help with at least 3 daily activities. See the HCG guide.
- Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund: up to 90% off assistive devices. See the SMF guide.
- HDB EASE: grab bars, slip-resistant floors and ramps for 5% to 12.5% of the cost. See the EASE guide.
- CareShield Life and MediSave can help with long-term care costs for those with severe disability. Check your parent’s cover.
Ageing in place: what it takes
Most seniors would rather stay in their own flat, and Singapore’s policy (through Age Well SG and the Active Ageing Centres) is built around helping them do so. Living alone safely usually needs three things:
- A safer flat: grab bars, non-slip floors, good lighting. See the fall prevention checklist.
- A community: the nearest Active Ageing Centre, neighbours, a befriender.
- A way to notice when something goes wrong: an SOS button, a daily check-in, or monitoring. See the guide to elderly monitoring systems.
Birdhouse covers the third: small motion sensors, a door sensor and an SOS button alert the family and Active Ageing Centre when the usual routine does not happen, with no cameras. It is S$25–30 a month with the hardware included.
Signs it is time for more help
- Repeated falls, or a fall where your parent could not get up.
- Missed meals, weight loss, or spoilt food in the fridge.
- Missed medicines or appointments.
- Getting lost, leaving the stove on, or going out at night.
- More alerts that turn out to be real, or long quiet spells during the day.
- The main caregiver is exhausted.
These are reasons to talk to your parent’s doctor and to AIC about a care assessment. Often the next step is a few hours of home personal care or day care a week, not a move. Enhanced Home Personal Care (HPC+) bundles home help, respite and 24/7 fall monitoring for eligible seniors.
A worked example
Take a hypothetical case: an 82-year-old who lives alone in a 3-room flat and needs some help with bathing, dressing and walking. Before subsidies, day care twice a week (about 9 sessions a month from S$55) comes to around S$495 a month, and Birdhouse Essential with a bathroom sensor S$35 a month. If the family qualifies, means-tested subsidies reduce the day care cost, and a Home Caregiving Grant of S$400 a month (household income per person between S$1,501 and S$3,600) helps cover what is left. A nursing home, by comparison, starts at about S$3,900 a month before subsidy. Figures are illustrative: ask AIC for the subsidies that apply to your family.
Frequently asked questions
How much does elderly care cost in Singapore?
Before subsidy, from AIC (checked 2 November 2026): home personal care about S$25 an hour, day care from about S$55 a session, nursing homes from about S$3,900 a month. Monitoring at home typically costs S$20 to S$50 a month. Means-tested subsidies and grants can reduce these substantially.
How much is a nursing home in Singapore per month?
AIC lists nursing home costs from about S$3,900 a month before subsidies, depending on the level of care. Since July 2026, means-tested subsidies for residential care go up to 75% for Singapore Citizens, and up to 80% for those born in 1969 or earlier.
What elderly care services are available in Singapore?
Active Ageing Centres, home monitoring, home personal care, home nursing, day care, respite care, Enhanced Home Personal Care (HPC+), domestic helpers and nursing homes. AIC (1800 650 6060) can help you choose.
What is the cheapest way to help an elderly parent live alone safely?
Register them with the nearest Active Ageing Centre (free), make the flat safer through HDB’s EASE programme (5% to 12.5% of the cost), and add a way to notice when something goes wrong, such as a monitoring service from S$25 a month.
Sources and further reading
- AIC: Home Personal Care
- AIC: Day care
- AIC: Nursing home
- AIC: Nursing home respite care
- AIC: Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession
- MOH: long-term care financing support enhanced
- MOH: Subsidy framework for non-residential long-term care services
- MOH: Subsidies for residential long-term care services
- MOH: Intermediate and long-term care services
- Singapore Red Cross: What is HoME+
This guide describes Birdhouse as it works on 3 November 2026. Birdhouse is not an emergency response service and never calls emergency services for you. In a life-threatening emergency, call 995. Questions or corrections: info@birdhouse.sg.