Looking to cut costs in retirement? Try Iowa, Genworth says

Although retirees may envision living out their golden years in sunny California or Florida, they might consider Iowa if they want to save on elder care, according to data from Genworth Financial Inc.
The Richmond, Va.-based insurer yesterday released its annual Cost of Care survey, which provides data on the increasing cost of home care and assisted living, and breaks out cost information on a regional basis.
Iowa is the top state for long term care affordability and choice. A private room in a nursing home in the Iowa City region costs between $130 and $220.
Meanwhile, homemaker services, which include cleaning and cooking, in Des Moines cost between $18 and $25 an hour.
By comparison, nationwide, a private room in a nursing home runs between $90 and $850 a day, while homemaker services cost between $8 and $35 an hour.
South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and North Dakota rounded out the top five states in terms of inexpensive care.
The cost of elder care is rising for most Medicare-certified home health aide services. The national average median hourly rate is $46.22, up 35.6% from a year earlier.
The national average median hourly rate for homemaker services is $17.48, up 1.87% from a year earlier.
Nursing home services in a private room cost an average median daily rate of $203.31, up 4.72% from a year earlier. That works out to $74,208 annually.
Meanwhile, a semiprivate room runs an average of $183.25 a day, or $66,850 a year, up 4.49% from 2008.
Those who want to live in areas that embody retirement luxury will have to reach even deeper into their pockets.
A private room in Florida’s West Palm Beach-Boca Raton region costs between $182 and $290 a day. But similar accommodations in Puerto Rico range between $33 and $83 a day.
The most expensive place to obtain assisted-living and nursing home care is Alaska. The average median annual rate of a private bedroom in the state is $57,624 in an assisted-living facility and $187,610 in a nursing home.