The short answer: In-home senior care across the Orlando metro runs $27–$46 per hour in 2026, with most providers clustering around $30–$38. TrustWise Care refers caregivers throughout Central Florida at a flat $34 per hour — no surcharges for evenings, weekends, or holidays, and no minimum visit. As everywhere, the biggest cost driver is hours per week, not the hourly rate.
If you're a family in Orlando, Winter Park, Sanford, Lake Mary, Kissimmee, or anywhere across Central Florida trying to price home care, you've already discovered the problem: no two providers quote the same number, and most won't quote at all until you book a consultation. Here are real numbers.
How much does home care cost per hour in the Orlando metro in 2026?
Non-medical in-home care across Central Florida runs $27 to $46 per hour in 2026. The range reflects caregiver type (companion vs. hands-on CNA), surcharge structures, minimum-visit rules, and whether the provider is a nurse registry or a home health agency.
| Service type | Low | Typical | High | |---|---|---|---| | Companion care | $27/hr | $33/hr | $41/hr | | Personal care (CNA/HHA, hands-on) | $29/hr | $35/hr | $46/hr | | Homemaker services | $25/hr | $31/hr | $39/hr | | Overnight care (awake) | $27/hr | $33/hr | $41/hr | | Live-in care (per day) | $260 | $335 | $430 |
Source: TrustWise Care rate observations across the Orlando-metro licensed market, cross-referenced with Genworth Cost of Care data for the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro. [verify quarterly]
TrustWise charges $34/hour flat across personal care, companion care, and homemaker services — the same rate in Orlando as in our Volusia home base, with no evening, weekend, or holiday surcharge and no minimum visit.
Why are Orlando-metro home care rates a little higher than the coast?
Central Florida rates tend to sit slightly above the Volusia/Flagler coast for the same reasons any large metro does: higher caregiver wage competition (theme parks, hospitals, and a deep healthcare labor market all bid for the same workers), longer average drive distances across a sprawling metro, and a higher concentration of national franchises whose surcharge-and-minimum pricing pulls the "typical" number up. A flat, published rate is the exception in this market, not the norm.
The practical takeaway is the same everywhere: compare providers on the all-in monthly cost, not the advertised hourly rate. A "$30/hour" Orlando quote with a weekend surcharge and a 4-hour minimum often costs more per month than a $34 flat rate.
What does home care cost per month in Central Florida?
Monthly cost depends almost entirely on hours per week. At TrustWise's $34/hour flat rate:
| Care level | Hours/week | Monthly cost | |---|---|---| | Light (companion + check-ins) | 12 | ~$1,770 | | Moderate (daily personal care) | 30 | ~$4,420 | | Heavy (extended daily) | 84 | ~$12,380 | | 24-hour shift care | 168 | ~$23,300 | | Live-in (alternative to 24-hr) | 7 days | ~$9,900 |
The single largest financial decision at the high end is live-in vs. 24-hour shift care — live-in runs roughly 40–60% of the cost of around-the-clock awake coverage.
Which hospitals discharge into the Orlando metro?
Many Central Florida families come to home care within days of a hospital discharge. The major systems whose discharges we coordinate with across the metro include AdventHealth Orlando and the broader AdventHealth network (Altamonte Springs, Winter Park, Apopka, Celebration, Kissimmee), Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center and Orlando Health Horizon West, HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital (Sanford), Oviedo Medical Center, and Osceola Regional Medical Center (Kissimmee). Our post-hospital recovery support is built for the first 30 days after any of them.
How do Central Florida families pay for home care?
The funding sources are statewide, so they're the same across the Orlando metro as on the coast:
- Private pay — about three-quarters of the market (savings, home equity, family contribution)
- Long-term care insurance — $100–$300/day typical benefit; we handle the claim paperwork
- VA Aid & Attendance — up to ~$2,300/month for a married veteran (2026); we help families file for free
- Florida Medicaid (SMMC Long-Term Care) — for those who qualify, with a 12–24 month waitlist that makes applying early essential
- Medicare — does not pay for non-medical home care (it covers only short-term skilled care)
See our guides on [paying for care], [VA benefits], [Medicaid waivers], and the [Volusia County cost breakdown] for the coastal comparison.
Is TrustWise actually local to Orlando, or based on the coast?
Both. TrustWise is headquartered in Daytona Beach, where our coverage is deepest — but we refer credentialed caregivers who live throughout the Orlando metro, so Central Florida coverage doesn't depend on anyone driving in from the coast. Sanford and the north-metro communities sit right at the seam between our Volusia home base and the Orlando market, and many of our existing caregivers already work both.
Frequently asked questions
How much does home care cost per hour in Orlando in 2026? $27–$46 per hour depending on service and provider. TrustWise Care charges $34/hour flat with no surcharges or minimums.
Is home care more expensive in Orlando than in Daytona Beach? Slightly — the Orlando metro typically runs a dollar or two higher per hour due to wage competition and franchise pricing. TrustWise charges the same flat $34/hour in both markets.
Does Medicare pay for home care in Central Florida? No. Medicare covers short-term skilled home health after a qualifying event, not ongoing non-medical home care. Private pay, long-term care insurance, VA benefits, and Medicaid waivers are the funding sources.
Does TrustWise serve the whole Orlando metro? TrustWise refers caregivers across Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties — Orlando, Winter Park, Apopka, Winter Garden, Sanford, Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Kissimmee, St. Cloud, and Celebration.
Is there a minimum number of hours? No. TrustWise has no minimum visit length anywhere it operates.
Reviewed by the TrustWise Care clinical team. Local figures marked [verify] should be confirmed against a current source before publication; this guide is updated quarterly.