When a parent has a stroke or receives a dementia diagnosis, long-term care stops being an abstract worry. Within weeks, you are comparing nursing homes, pricing home nursing, and working out who takes time off work.
It does not only affect the elderly. At one major insurer, most long-term care claimants are under 50.
Families in Singapore spend an average of $2,952 a month on long-term care, yet the national CareShield Life scheme pays $689 a month in 2026. Below, SmartWealth consolidates the latest long-term care statistics in Singapore, from the true cost of care to the subsidies that soften it. All figures are in Singapore dollars.
Summary of Key Findings
All figures below are drawn from the Singlife 2024 Long-Term Care Survey, Great Eastern’s 2025 study, and official government data, consolidated by SmartWealth as of September 2026.
- Families in Singapore spend an average of $2,952 a month on long-term care, up 27% from $2,324 in 2018.
- 62% of GREAT CareShield claimants are under 50 (claims to May 2026), so long-term care is not just an old-age issue.
- 1 in 2 healthy Singaporeans aged 65 could develop severe disability in their lifetime, and the average long-term care claim lasts 10 years.
- CareShield Life’s $689 payout covers under a quarter of the $2,952 average monthly spend, a care gap of about $2,263 a month.
- 57% of Singaporeans underestimate the cost of care, most by $1,000 to $2,000 a month.
- Nursing homes cost about $2,000 to $3,600 a month before means-tested subsidies of up to 80% (enhanced from 1 July 2026).
SIDE NOTE
A policy bought years ago. Savings in three places. A will that's still on the to-do list.
None of it is wrong. It's just not a plan yet.
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The Risk of Needing Long-Term Care
Long-term care is the personal and medical help needed when someone can no longer perform the basic activities of daily living (ADLs). There are six: washing, dressing, feeding, toileting, walking or moving around, and transferring from a bed to a chair. Someone who cannot do at least three of the six is considered severely disabled.
1) 62% of long-term care claimants at Great Eastern are under 50
Long-term care is usually framed as an old-age problem. The claims data says otherwise. Great Eastern’s claims data, payable to 31 May 2026, shows that 62% of its GREAT CareShield claimants are under 50. Close to three in 10 long-term disability claims stem from injuries, and 63% of those injury claims come from people aged 30 to 49, their prime working years.
Singlife’s experience points the same way. Its claims records from 2010 to 2024 show an average claimant age of 58, with the youngest at just 32. If you are in your 30s or 40s, this is not only your parents’ risk. It is yours too.
2) 1 in 2 healthy Singaporeans aged 65 could become severely disabled
One in two healthy Singaporeans aged 65 could develop severe disability at some point in their lifetime and may need long-term care. The trigger can be a sudden event such as a stroke, a worsening chronic condition such as diabetes, or an age-related illness such as dementia.
3) The average long-term care claim lasts 10 years
It is the length of care, not the monthly figure, that turns this into a six-figure cost. Singlife’s claims data from 2010 to 2024 puts the average long-term care claim at 10 years, with about half of its claimants receiving payouts for more than 10 years and its longest active claimant paid for over 15 years. We return to this in the care gap calculation below.
How Much Long-Term Care Costs in Singapore
Long-term care costs an average of $2,952 a month, based on Singlife’s 2024 survey of over 1,000 Singaporeans and PRs. That is roughly half of the median monthly income from work in Singapore, and it can run for years.
4) The average monthly spend is $2,952, up 27% since 2018
When a similar study was run in 2018, caregivers reported spending $2,324 a month. The 2024 figure of $2,952 is an increase of about 4% a year, broadly in line with medical inflation outpacing general prices. Here is how that spend breaks down each month:
| Category | Average Monthly Spend |
|---|---|
| Food and daily necessities | $469 |
| Nursing home services | $430 |
| Medicine | $391 |
| Home equipment and modifications | $369 |
| Nursing services | $361 |
| Medical appointments | $335 |
| Physiotherapy | $277 |
| Transport | $166 |
| Others | $154 |
Source: Singlife Long-Term Care Survey 2024
This average excludes the caregiver’s own lost income, and it is only an average: costs scale with how many ADLs a person cannot perform, the standard of care, and subsidy eligibility. Care costs have also historically risen faster than general prices, so a 40-year-old should plan around a higher figure than today’s.
5) 57% of Singaporeans underestimate the cost of care
In Singlife’s survey, seven in 10 respondents said they worry about the cost of long-term care, yet 57% underestimated what it actually costs, most by between $1,000 and $2,000 a month. Great Eastern’s 2025 study found the same blind spot for home care: respondents estimated it at around $2,400 a month, while care provider Care@Homes put the realistic figure closer to $3,500 a month, an underestimation of about 32%.
The gap matters because it delays planning. Awareness of long-term disability rose from 29% in 2023 to 42% in 2025, yet 59% of Singaporeans still do not seriously consider their own likelihood of becoming disabled.
Nursing Home Costs and Subsidies
QUICK CHECK
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1) If something happened to you tomorrow, how much would your family receive?
2) At 65, what monthly income will your savings and investments pay you?
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That order exists. Work through your finances in this sequence, from income and protection through to investments and estate planning.
6) Nursing homes cost about $2,000 to $3,600 a month before subsidies
Quoted prices vary widely by tier. A standard shared room typically runs $2,000 to $3,600 a month before subsidies. Unsubsidised private rooms cost more, about $4,000 to $6,500 a month. For the highest care needs, MOH estimates fees for a Category IV nursing home resident at about $4,900 a month before subsidies.
7) Means-tested subsidies can cover up to 80% of nursing home fees
Since 1 July 2026, MOH has enhanced its long-term care subsidies. Singapore Citizens can now receive up to 75% off residential long-term care, or up to 80% for those born in 1969 or earlier. Permanent Residents receive up to 50%. Subsidies are means-tested on Monthly Per Capita Household Income (PCHI), the gross household income divided by the number of household members:
| Monthly PCHI | Citizen (born 1969 or earlier) | Citizen (born after 1969) | PR |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,500 and below | 80% | 75% | 50% |
| $1,501 to $2,300 | 65% | 60% | 40% |
| $2,301 to $2,600 | 55% | 50% | 30% |
| $2,601 to $3,600 | 35% | 30% | 15% |
| $3,601 to $4,800 | 15% | 10% | 5% |
| $4,801 and above | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Source: MOH, effective 1 July 2026
MOH gives a worked example, based on a household with a PCHI of $1,500. A Category IV nursing home, the highest care tier, costs about $4,900 a month before help. A 75% subsidy takes roughly $3,700 off that, and the $689 CareShield Life payout covers more of the rest, leaving about $510 a month to pay out of pocket. Households that earn more pay more.
The 2025 Budget also raised the income ceiling for these subsidies, from a PCHI of $3,600 to $4,800. So if your household was last assessed before July 2026, it may be worth getting reassessed.
Home-Based Care
8) 68% prefer home-based care, and a helper costs $900 to $1,400 a month
When care becomes necessary, 68% of Singaporeans prefer professional care support at home over an institution, driven largely by the wish to keep their independence and dignity.
A domestic helper is the most common route. Care provider Care@Homes puts the recurring cost at roughly $900 to $1,400 a month, covering a salary of $800 to $1,100 and the migrant domestic worker levy, plus about $2,500 in one-off costs such as caregiver insurance. The levy drops to a concessionary $60 a month when someone aged 67 or above lives in the household. One caveat matters more than the maths: a helper is not a nurse, so complex medical needs, night care, and emergencies still fall on the family. For families who qualify, home and community care subsidies reach up to 80%. MOH’s worked example puts the out-of-pocket cost at about $110 a month for a lower-income household, after subsidies, grants, and CareShield Life.
CareShield Life and the Care Gap
CareShield Life is the national long-term care insurance scheme. We cover how CareShield Life works in detail elsewhere, so here we focus on the numbers.
9) CareShield Life pays $689 a month in 2026, rising to $806 by 2030
Following the CareShield Life 2025 Review, payouts now grow at 4% a year instead of 2% from 2026 to 2030:
| Year of First Claim | Monthly Payout |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $689 |
| 2027 | $717 |
| 2028 | $745 |
| 2029 | $775 |
| 2030 | $806 |
Source: Ministry of Health, August 2025
Payouts increase yearly until age 67 or a successful claim, whichever comes first, and are paid for life while the person stays severely disabled. Older Singaporeans not on CareShield Life may still be on ElderShield, which offers more limited coverage.
10) CareShield Life covers under a quarter of average monthly care costs
Is CareShield Life enough? On average spending, no. Take the average monthly spend of $2,952 and subtract the 2026 payout of $689, and you are left with a shortfall of about $2,263 a month, which means the national scheme covers under a quarter of what families report spending.
That gap does not last only a month. With the average claim running 10 years, it repeats for years. Singlife’s own projection, with costs rising 4% a year, puts the total 10-year cost of care at over $420,000. Payouts do rise over time, and subsidies and grants can shrink the gap for lower-income households, but for many families the national scheme is a foundation, not a full answer.
11) Only 1 in 3 Singaporeans have a CareShield Life or ElderShield supplement
Despite the gap, only one in three Singaporeans have taken up a supplement. Among those who have not, 38% say they cannot afford it and 29% say it is not a priority, according to Singlife’s survey. Supplements are private plans that top up the national payout, paid partly through MediSave. We compare the options in our CareShield supplement guide. Do note that applications are subject to underwriting and health disclosure, which is one reason planning earlier tends to be easier than planning later.
What Can We Learn?
The numbers point the same way. Half of us may need long-term care, it costs about four times what the national scheme pays, and most Singaporeans underestimate the bill by a third. The encouraging part is that the gap is manageable if you face it early.
Start with what you are entitled to. Means-tested subsidies now reach households with a per capita income of up to $4,800. Several grants stack on top: the Home Caregiving Grant pays up to $600 a month in cash for moderate to severe disability, MediSave Care lets severely disabled residents aged 30 and above withdraw up to $200 a month, and ElderFund gives discretionary help to lower-income Singaporeans who are short on MediSave. Then look at the shortfall that remains, and decide how to close it, whether through savings earmarked for care, a CareShield Life supplement while you are young and insurable, or both.
Planning for care in your 30s and 40s is far more affordable than reacting to a diagnosis at 65. A practical first step is to understand what CareShield Life covers, then weigh whether topping it up with a supplement makes sense while you are young and insurable, for you and your loved ones.
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