Costs & fees3 min
How much does aged care cost in Australia? A 2026 overview
What a residential aged care home really costs — the basic daily fee, means-tested care fee, accommodation (RAD or DAP) and how the means assessment fits in.
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Editorial guides
Guides for families who need clearer choices, costs and next steps
Practical articles, checklists and explanations built around Italian aged care homes, urgent placement, waiting lists and home-care decisions.
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Care guide8 min
Aged care waiting lists in Australia: how they really work and how to get a place sooner
The real gate is not a queue — it is the assessment and the paperwork behind it. How ACAT approval, means testing and hospital discharge decide who gets a room, and what actually moves things faster.
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Latest guides
18 articles
Costs & fees3 min
The cost of aged care in Geelong: what to budget
What residential aged care and retirement villages typically cost in Geelong, Victoria, and how the means assessment fits in.
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Costs & fees3 min
The cost of aged care in Gold Coast: what to budget
What residential aged care and retirement villages typically cost in Gold Coast, Queensland, and how the means assessment fits in.
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Costs & fees3 min
The cost of aged care in Hobart: what to budget
What residential aged care and retirement villages typically cost in Hobart, Tasmania, and how the means assessment fits in.
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Costs & fees3 min
The cost of aged care in Perth: what to budget
What residential aged care and retirement villages typically cost in Perth, Western Australia, and how the means assessment fits in.
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Costs & fees3 min
The cost of aged care in Melbourne: what to budget
What residential aged care and retirement villages typically cost in Melbourne, Victoria, and how the means assessment fits in.
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Costs & fees3 min
The cost of aged care in Brisbane: what to budget
What residential aged care and retirement villages typically cost in Brisbane, Queensland, and how the means assessment fits in.
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Costs & fees3 min
RAD vs DAP: how you pay for your aged care room
The Refundable Accommodation Deposit, the Daily Accommodation Payment, and how to choose between a lump sum, a daily amount or a combination.
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Costs & fees3 min
The cost of aged care in Adelaide: what to budget
What residential aged care and retirement villages typically cost in Adelaide, South Australia, and how the means assessment fits in.
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Most read
- Aged care waiting lists in Australia: how they really work and how to get a place sooner
The real gate is not a queue — it is the assessment and the paperwork behind it. How ACAT approval, means testing and hospital discharge decide who gets a room, and what actually moves things faster.
- Selling the family home to pay for aged care: should you?
How the former home is treated in the aged care means assessment and the pension, when to sell versus rent versus keep, and how the RAD decision interacts with the house.
- Support at Home vs residential aged care: which one, and when
How the new Support at Home program works, what it funds, when home care stops being enough, and how families decide between staying home and moving into residential care.
- Respite care in aged care homes: how it works and how to use it well
Funded residential respite days, what it costs, booking in practice, emergency respite when a carer collapses, and using respite as a trial run for permanent care.