What Dementia Care Actually Costs: US vs. Philippines

If you have a parent with dementia in the Philippines — or you’re weighing whether to bring a parent to the US or keep them home in Manila, Cebu, or Davao — the cost gap is so large it changes the entire decision. This guide puts real numbers side by side.

What dementia care costs in the US

Memory care — a secured assisted-living unit with staff trained for dementia — is the standard US answer once care at home stops being workable.

• Memory care facility: roughly $6,000–$8,500 per month depending on the state, with a national median around $6,700.
• 24/7 home care in the US: at $28–$38/hour for home health aides, round-the-clock coverage runs $20,000–$27,000 per month. This is the number that shocks families — it’s usually more than triple the facility price.
• Nursing home (semi-private room): around $8,000–$9,500 per month, and dementia units often charge more.

Medicare does not pay for long-term custodial care. Medicaid does, but only after spending down assets, and only in facilities that accept it. Most middle-class Fil-Am families end up paying out of pocket.

What the same care costs in the Philippines

In the Philippines, the default is the opposite: care happens at home, delivered by employed caregivers, with family supervising. For dementia, the workable setup is a team of two to three caregivers covering shifts, because one person cannot safely do 24/7 dementia care alone — anywhere, in any country.

A realistic all-in monthly budget for round-the-clock home dementia care:

• Caregiver salaries (2–3 trained caregivers, live-in shifts): ₱18,000–₱30,000 each per month in Metro Manila; provincial rates run lower.
• Food and board for live-in staff: ₱3,000–₱5,000 per caregiver.
• Mandatory employer contributions (SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG employer share): roughly ₱2,500–₱3,500 per caregiver per month when you employ them properly.
• 13th month pay accrual: one month’s salary per year — budget it monthly.
• Supplies (adult diapers, skin care, medications not covered): highly variable; ₱8,000–₱15,000 is a common range for late-stage care.

All in, families typically land between ₱90,000 and ₱150,000 per month (~$1,600–$2,700) for a properly staffed, properly employed 24/7 dementia care team — including supplies.

Run your own numbers with our Caregiver Cost Calculator and see the side-by-side with the US vs. Philippines comparator.

The honest comparison

Setting	Monthly cost
US memory care facility	~$6,700
US 24/7 home care	~$24,000
PH 24/7 home care team (Metro Manila)	~$1,600–$2,700

The savings are real — often $4,000–$5,000 per month against a US facility, and far more against US home care. Over a five-year dementia course, that’s a quarter of a million dollars.

But the comparison isn’t only financial, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise:

• Someone must supervise. The PH model works because a sibling, cousin, or paid care manager is checking in. Without that person, quality drifts.
• Medical care differs. For stable dementia, Philippine home care plus a local geriatrician is excellent value. For complex comorbidities, evaluate hospital access honestly — public hospitals are overloaded, and private hospital deposits are a real thing.
• Your parent’s world matters. Many elders with dementia do measurably better in a familiar home, hearing their own language, eating their own food. That is not a small thing. It is sometimes the deciding thing.

The bottom line

If your parent is in the Philippines and has family or a care manager nearby, home-based dementia care there is dramatically more affordable than any US option — and often better for the patient. The money you save funds a level of one-on-one attention no US facility provides at any price. The catch is that you become the care organizer. The rest of this site exists to make that job doable from 8,000 miles away.