Long-Term Care Cost Calculator

About this calculator

This calculator projects the future cost of long-term care — services like nursing home care, assisted living, or in-home aides for people who can no longer perform daily activities independently — by applying a compound inflation rate to today's cost over the number of years between now and when care is expected to begin, using the standard future-value formula: future cost = current cost × (1 + inflation rate)^years.

Long-term care costs have historically risen faster than general inflation, often 4-5% annually, which means a nursing home or assisted-living cost quoted today can be dramatically understated if used directly in retirement planning decades out. Financial planners use this kind of projection when advising clients on long-term care insurance, self-funding strategies, or Medicaid planning, since underestimating future care costs is one of the most common gaps in retirement plans.

This calculator takes today's annual cost of care, an inflation rate, and the number of years until care is expected to begin, then returns the projected future annual cost and total cost over the care period, so you can plan savings or insurance coverage against a realistic future number rather than today's price.