The headline line on a quote is the easiest figure to compare and the least likely to tell the whole story. The clock tells the rest. Start times, days of the week, and the distance a caregiver drives can each change what the same visit costs.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Start time and end time
Ask whether early morning and late evening hours are priced differently from midday hours. Ask whether the clock starts when the caregiver leaves the office or when they reach your door. Those two answers can differ by an hour a day, and that hour adds up over a month.
What it costs: The Missouri median for non-medical in-home care is $33 an hour, per the CareScout (Genworth) Cost of Care Survey 2025 state data tables, released March 2026. New Plan Care's standard rate is $34 an hour with a four-hour minimum, so a visit starts at $136 (newplancare.com/services).
Weekends and holidays
Ask whether weekend hours carry a different price and whether holiday hours do. Get the answer for the days that matter to your family, not in general. Do not assume the weekday line covers the weekend.
Travel from the office
Some agencies charge for the drive from their office to the home. Others absorb it. Ask the question in those words and ask which part of the drive counts. A short distance on a map can turn into a long paid trip in traffic.
Shape of the schedule
Breaks inside a single shift, two short visits in one day, and split shifts can each price differently from one continuous block. Describe your actual week to the agency and ask it to price that week, not an idealized one.
Read the budgeting guide for a year of in-home care alongside this list. Treat an agency that will not explain how the clock is charged as a finding in its own right.