Care homes in Saxony-Anhalt: the cheapest, but not cheap
Saxony-Anhalt has Germany’s lowest care home co-payment. Why it is still too high for many pensions and how quickly it is growing.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Monthly co-payment, Saxony-Anhalt
€2,891
in month 1, supplement 15 %
| Care (EEE) after supplement | €1,694 |
|---|---|
| Board and lodging | €852 |
| Investment costs | €345 |
| Fund pays the home | €1,618 |
| Monthly gap after pension | €1,291 |
| Savings last until the protected amount | 29 months |
| Co-payments over the next 36 months | €92,120 |
| Year 1 (15 %) | €2,891 |
|---|---|
| Year 2 (30 %) | €2,592 |
| Year 3 (50 %) | €2,194 |
| Year 4 (75 %) | €1,695 |
Step-by-step calculation
- vdek average for Saxony-Anhalt on 1 July 2026: EEE €1,993 (incl. training levy €104), board and lodging €852, investment costs €345.
- Month 1 in the home: supplement 15 % of the EEE = €298.95 (section 43c).
- Co-payment = €1,694.05 + €852 + €345 = €2,891.05.
Estimate using the 2026 amounts in Book XI of the Social Code. Only the decision letter from your Pflegekasse is binding. How we calculate
On 1 July 2026 Saxony-Anhalt was the German state with the lowest care home co-payment: €2,891 a month in the first year of residence, according to the vdek, €473 below the national average. The fixed items are what make it cheap: board and lodging cost €852, investment costs €345, and the nursing training levy within the care part is among the lowest at €104. The care co-payment (EEE) itself, at €1,993, is close to the average. From the fourth year the co-payment falls to €1,695. Cheap does not mean stable, though: since 1 January 2026 the first-year figure has risen by €171, 6.3 % in six months and one of the steepest rises among the states. With pensions in eastern Germany often lower, many residents still face a monthly gap here.
The cheapest state against its neighbours
| Saxony-Anhalt | Saxony | Thuringia | Germany | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Care co-payment (EEE) | €1,993 | €2,136 | €2,045 | €2,088 |
| Board and lodging | €852 | €881 | €971 | €1,068 |
| Investment costs | €345 | €455 | €454 | €521 |
| Year 1 | €2,891 | €3,152 | €3,163 | €3,364 |
| From year 4 | €1,695 | €1,870 | €1,936 | €2,111 |
Saxony-Anhalt is cheaper than Saxony and Thuringia on every line, most clearly in investment costs. The lead is shrinking: the care part grew by €155 in half a year. Anyone moving in now should expect further increases and enter the home’s EEE in the calculator.
Same price at every grade
Within a home every resident from grade 2 to 5 pays the same care part (section 84(2) SGB XI), so a higher grade does not lower the bill. Time does: from month 13 the fund covers 30 percent of the care part, from month 37 75 percent. Who pays when the pension falls short is explained in who pays for a care home.