What does assisted living cost?

Understand the three kinds of price

• A survey median is the middle value when reported prices are put in order. It is a planning benchmark, not a price you can book.
• An advertised starting rate is the lowest price a community markets, often for the smallest room and the lightest level of care.
• An individualized quote is the price a specific home gives you after assessing the person’s needs and the room they would actually use.

A written quote based on the person’s needs gives you a price to work with. Use a survey median as a starting point for budgeting.

What a monthly price usually covers — and what it may not

Assisted living prices are built differently from home to home. Ask each community to label every line as included, priced separately, or not yet assessed:

• Accommodation: the room or apartment type, whether private or shared.
• Meals: how many meals and snacks, and whether special diets cost more.
• Daily assistance: help with bathing, dressing, mobility, and toileting.
• Medication support: reminders, administration, or coordination with an outside professional.
• Housekeeping and laundry: frequency, and whether personal laundry is extra.
• Transportation: scheduled trips, medical appointments, and any per-trip charge.
• Activities: what is included and what carries a fee.

In California, the Department of Aging explains that residential care facilities provide non-medical care and that additional monthly fees may be charged for more extensive care based on the resident’s assessed needs. That means two residents in identical rooms can pay different amounts. Do not assume a surveyed monthly figure is “rent only,” and do not assume every home charges the same extras — ask each home to itemize its own quote.

Ask which fees are one-time and which repeat

Ask each home to separate one-time charges from recurring fees. For each charge, request the amount, when it is due, how often it repeats, and whether any part is refundable.

Ask about move-in or community fees, deposits, assessment fees, additional care charges, and charges for a second person sharing the room. Keep the recurring monthly total separate from amounts due at move-in.

Ask each home for the same cost breakdown

Ask each home for the same thing:

“For [room type] and [the person’s] assessed needs, please send a written monthly price that labels each service as included, separately priced, or not yet assessed, plus any one-time fees and the date this quote applies.”

Using the same request makes it easier to see which services are included and where the costs differ.

What the national survey shows

The figures in this guide come from the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, with fieldwork conducted July through November 2025. For assisted living it reports:

• National median: $6,200 per month ($6,200 × 12 = $74,400 per year) for a private one-bedroom.
• The national assisted living median rose about 5% from the prior year’s $5,900 per month.

That 5% is a reported change between two past surveys. It is a historical figure, not a prediction of what any home will charge next year. Ask each community directly how and when it adjusts prices.

CareScout notes its assisted living figures come from 4,944 completed surveys of licensed assisted living communities nationally, reported as the monthly rate for a private one-bedroom. Individual homes can and do fall above or below the median.

The national benchmark at a glance

Source: CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, median cost data tables (pages 2 and 4) and its survey landing page.

Assisted living costs by state

Find your state’s 2025 assisted living median below. These figures cover a private one-bedroom and can help you plan a budget. Ask each home for a quote based on the room and care needed.

No state matches that search. Try the full state name.

Source: CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, monthly median tables (pages 4–5), fieldwork July–November 2025, assisted living community private one-bedroom. The survey reports the 50 states and a national figure; it does not publish a separate District of Columbia median, so none is shown. California example: $7,000/month ($84,000/year) — a statewide survey median, not a quote for any specific city or home.

What can change the price after move-in

Ask each home, in writing, about:

• Reassessment: how often needs are reviewed and how a change in care level changes the price.
• Room changes: what happens to the price if the person moves to a different room or a higher level of care.
• Annual adjustments: whether prices increase on a schedule, and how much notice you receive.

A quote is a snapshot. Understanding how it can move is as important as the starting number.

Paying for care

Families often ask whether public benefits cover assisted living. The clearest boundary to understand first is Medicare:

Medicare does not pay for long-term custodial care — the room, board, and help with daily activities that assisted living provides. Medicare’s long-term care coverage page states that “Medicare doesn’t pay for long-term care” and distinguishes long-term custodial care from skilled nursing facility care. Separately covered medical or skilled services are a different question and are not the same as the monthly assisted living charge.

Other paths — Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California), long-term care insurance, and veterans’ benefits — have their own eligibility rules that depend on the person’s situation and state. Confirm any benefit directly with the official program before counting on it; this guide cannot determine individual eligibility.

Frequently asked questions