What aged care costs in Melbourne
Three parts: the room, the basic daily fee every resident pays, and contributions that depend on income and assets. The room prices below are the ones Melbourne homes have published; the fees are national and as at 20 September 2026.
How much does an aged care home cost in Melbourne?
Every resident pays the basic daily fee of $68.93 a day (as at 20 September 2026), the same everywhere in Australia. The room is the part that varies by area. Among the 4 Melbourne homes in our list with a published room price, the median is $635,500, and prices run from $393,750 to $1,002,000. Paid entirely as a daily payment, $635,500 works out to about $148.17 a day at the government interest rate of 8.51% (as at 1 October 2026). Depending on income and assets, some residents also pay means-tested contributions.
- Basic daily fee
- $68.93
- Every resident, as at 20 September 2026
- Median published room price
- $635,500
- 4 Melbourne homes; $393,750 to $1,002,000
- Median price as a daily payment
- $148.17
- At 8.51% (as at 1 October 2026)
- Non-clinical care contribution cap
- $109.45
- A day, new residents, as at 20 September 2026
Published room prices in Melbourne
Across all 99 published room prices in our national list, the median is $570,000. Melbourne's median is 11% higher.
Across Victoria, the 12 published prices in our list have a median of $596,500.
The gap between the Melbourne prices we have is $608,250: mecwacare Noel Miller Centre publishes $393,750 and Gary Smorgon House / Melbourne Hebrew Memorial Nursing Home (Caulfield) publishes $1,002,000. A room price pays for the room (its size, outlook, a private bathroom) and reflects the area; it does not buy more care, so a higher price is not a sign of better care.
Two of the Melbourne prices we have are above $789,686, the most a home can charge without approval from the government's pricing authority (the limit from 1 July 2026). Homes that charge more must have that approval.
| Home | Suburb | Published room price | As a daily payment | Overall rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mecwacare Noel Miller Centre | Glen Iris | $393,750 | $91.80 a day | 4 of 5 |
| Regis Sandringham | Sandringham | $442,000 | $103.05 a day | 3 of 5 |
| Nellie Melba Retirement Village Aged Care Centre (Wheelers Hill) | Wheelers Hill | $829,000 | $193.28 a day | 4 of 5 |
| Gary Smorgon House / Melbourne Hebrew Memorial Nursing Home (Caulfield) | Caulfield | $1,002,000 | $233.62 a day | 4 of 5 |
Daily payments use the government interest rate of 8.51% (as at 1 October 2026). The rate is fixed on the day you agree the room price.
442 other homes in our Melbourne list have no published price in our data. Homes must publish their room prices on My Aged Care and their own website, and a home may publish several, one for each type of room. We don't have a date for every published price and homes change them, so confirm the current figure. Ask for the full list, and for the price of the room actually on offer. See every Melbourne home we list, with star ratings.
The fees on top of the room
These are set nationally, so they are the same in Melbourne as anywhere else. Which ones apply depends on when the person moved in and on an income and assets assessment by Services Australia.
| Fee | Amount | Who pays it |
|---|---|---|
| Basic daily fee | $68.93 a day ($25,159 a year), as at 20 September 2026 | Every resident |
| Hotelling contribution | Up to $22.15 a day, as at 20 September 2026. No annual or lifetime cap. | Residents who moved in from 1 November 2025, depending on income and assets |
| Non-clinical care contribution | Up to $109.45 a day, as at 20 September 2026. Stops after 4 years or once $140,652.80 has been paid, whichever comes first. | Residents who moved in from 1 November 2025, depending on income and assets |
| Lump-sum retention | The home keeps 2% of a lump-sum room payment each year, for up to 5 years (rule in force since 1 November 2025). | Residents who moved in from 1 November 2025 and pay a lump sum |
| Means-tested care fee | Capped at $37,055.98 a year and $88,934.57 over a lifetime, as at 20 September 2026 | Residents who moved in on or before 31 October 2025, depending on income and assets |
Putting two of those together: someone who pays the Melbourne median published price of $635,500 entirely as a daily payment would pay about $148.17 a day for the room, at the government interest rate of 8.51% (as at 1 October 2026), plus the $68.93 basic daily fee (as at 20 September 2026): $217.10 a day before any means-tested contributions or optional extras. That is arithmetic on published figures, not an estimate of what any one person will pay.
For people who moved in from 1 November 2025, clinical care such as nursing is fully paid for by the government. People with low means pay less for the room or nothing, and the government pays the home up to $73.73 a day towards it (as at 20 September 2026). Some homes also offer optional extra services, such as premium meals or a larger room, which must be agreed in writing.
General information only, not financial advice. How to pay for the room, whether to sell the family home and the effect on the pension are decisions for a licensed financial adviser or Services Australia's free Financial Information Service. For the full picture see how aged care fees work, or try the fee estimator. Sources: schedule of fees and charges, My Aged Care.
Questions about costs in Melbourne
How much is a room in a Melbourne aged care home?
In our list, 4 Melbourne homes publish a room price, from $393,750 to $1,002,000 with a median of $635,500. Each home sets a price for each room, so ask for the full list and the price of the room actually on offer. The price you agree can be lower than the published one.
Is the basic daily fee higher in Melbourne?
No. It is set by the government at 85% of the single basic Age Pension: $68.93 a day, or $25,159 a year (as at 20 September 2026), in every home in Australia. It changes each 20 March and 20 September. What varies in Melbourne is the room price.
Do we have to pay the room price as a lump sum?
No. You can pay a refundable lump sum, a daily payment, or a mix. A home can't ask you to choose how to pay before you move in. You can pay a refundable lump sum, in full or in part, any time after moving in once the means assessment is finalised; until then the room is paid by daily payments. The daily payment is the room price multiplied by the government interest rate, 8.51% (as at 1 October 2026), divided by 365: for mecwacare Noel Miller Centre's published $393,750, that is about $91.80 a day. Which suits a family is a financial decision; talk to a licensed financial adviser or Services Australia's free Financial Information Service.
What if Mum can't afford the room prices in Melbourne?
If her assets are under $66,500 (as at 20 September 2026) and her income is limited, the government pays some or all of the room cost, and the home cannot ask her for the full price. Services Australia works this out from an income and assets assessment. Ask homes in Melbourne whether they have a room available for a supported resident.
Why are some Melbourne room prices above $789,686?
A home can publish a price up to $789,686 (the limit from 1 July 2026) on its own. Above that it needs approval from the government's pricing authority. Two of the Melbourne prices we have are above the limit.