Hiring a registered nurse for home care is priced per 12-hour shift, starting at 3,500 baht per day, 22,500 baht per week and 90,000 baht per month. A caregiver starts at 1,800 baht per 12-hour shift. The gap is nearly double because the scope differs: nurses perform procedures and make nursing decisions, caregivers handle daily living. Most families do not need a nurse full time; they combine a resident caregiver with per-visit nursing procedures from 1,200 baht.
The question families search most is how much a home nurse costs. The question to ask first is whether your parent actually needs a nurse, because paying nurse rates for work a caregiver can do wastes tens of thousands of baht a month. This article separates the two roles and shows how to combine them.
1. Registered nurse versus caregiver
A registered nurse holds a licence from the Nursing Council and can dress pressure sores, change feeding tubes and urinary catheters, give injections, suction airways, and assess vital signs to decide whether a hospital visit is needed.
A caregiver has completed a 420-hour training course and a criminal background check, and covers daily living fully: bathing, dressing, feeding, walking support, repositioning, and fall prevention. A caregiver cannot perform nursing procedures.
The simple test: if your parent has a tube, a wound, or needs injections, a nurse must be involved, though not necessarily full time. Without those three, a caregiver is sufficient.
2. How home nursing is priced
- Daily 3,500 baht per 12-hour shift, suited to the first night home from hospital
- Weekly 22,500 baht, about 3,214 baht a day, for the transition period when the duration is still unclear
- Monthly 90,000 baht, about 3,000 baht a day, with the same nurses who know the case
- Full 24-hour cover requires two shifts; quoted case by case
Prices exclude medical treatment and supplies. Ask about travel if the home is outside Bangkok and its suburbs.
3. The cheaper route: per-visit nursing
Many families do not realise a nurse can be booked only for procedures, from 1,200 baht per visit.
- Wound care 1,200 baht per visit
- Nasogastric feeding tube change 1,600 baht per visit
- Urinary catheter change 2,200 baht per visit
The most common cost-controlled arrangement is a resident caregiver at 1,800 baht a day plus a nurse on procedure days, typically two to four visits a month. The total is far below a full-time nurse.
4. Three monthly scenarios compared
For a parent with a feeding tube changed once a month:
- Full-time nurse, 12-hour shifts: 90,000 baht per month
- Caregiver 12-hour shifts 30,000 baht plus one tube change 1,600 baht: about 31,600 baht
- Caregiver 24-hour shifts 36,000 baht plus one tube change: about 37,600 baht
The difference approaches 60,000 baht a month with identical care for the actual need. What you need is someone who assesses honestly whether a full-time nurse is really required.
5. When a full-time nurse is genuinely needed
- Frequent airway suctioning or a home ventilator
- Scheduled injections or intravenous fluids
- Severe pressure sores needing daily dressing and infection monitoring
- Unstable condition requiring vital-sign monitoring and rapid hospital decisions
- End-of-life care with pain and breathing management
In these cases a full-time nurse pays for itself, since one wrong decision can mean a hospital readmission that costs far more.
6. Questions to ask before hiring
- Is the nursing licence current, and can you see it?
- If the nurse is ill or on leave, how quickly is a replacement provided?
- What does the price include: travel, supplies, overtime?
- How and how often is the family updated?
- If the condition improves, can you switch to a caregiver without a new contract?
KIN HomeCare assesses every case free of charge before starting, tells you plainly whether a nurse or caregiver is needed, and adjusts the level as the condition changes.
Contact KIN HomeCare 061-881-9399 for elderly care, home nursing and equipment rental, 095-767-6307 for home physiotherapy · LINE @KINHOMECARE · nationwide, initial consultation free
Written by Onruthai Boontuang, RN 5311192883, branch manager, KIN Sukhumvit 107. Reviewed by Kamolchat Chokthanomsub, MD 40854. Prices reference August 2026 and may change; please confirm with our team.
This article provides general information and is not individual medical advice. Please consult a physician for personal assessment.
