Inflation may be low and the economy may be struggling, but the cost of elder care is continuing to increase, according to a new Metlife survey.

The average cost of a private room in a nursing home rose 3.3 percent in 2009 to $79,935 a year – or $219 a day. The average cost of an assisted living facility also climbed 3.3 percent, to $37,572 a year or $3,131 a month.

Home health care aides now cost an average of $21 an hour, a 5 percent jump, and adult day care services now average $67 a day, a 4.7 percent increase over 2008.

The cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home increased 4 percent to $198 a day, or $72,270 a year. The cost of a semi-private room in an Alzheimer’s wing averages $75,920 annually, and the cost for a private room is $85,045.

The rates for a private nursing home room ranged from a low of $132 a day in rural Louisiana to a high of $584 a day in Alaska. Assisted living rates ranged from $2,014 a month in North Dakota to $5,219 a month in Wilmington, Delaware.

The cost of home health care aide services was lowest in Shreveport, Louisiana, where it averaged $13 an hour, and highest in Rochester, Minnesota, where the average hourly rate was $30.

The rates for adult day care services ranged from $27 a day in Montgomery, Alabama to $150 a day in Vermont.

Nationwide, the nursing home population is 68% female, with a median age of 83.2.