What assisted living costs, state by state
Assisted living costs a median $6,200 a month in the US, or $74,400 a year. That's the figure for a private one-bedroom unit in the CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025.
Where your parent lives changes the price more than anything else. The state median runs from $4,369 a month in Mississippi to $12,096 in Hawaii.
| Type of care | US monthly median |
|---|---|
| Assisted living community, private one-bedroom | $6,200 |
| Nursing home, semi-private room | $9,581 |
| Nursing home, private room | $10,798 |
| Homemaker services, 44 hours a week | $6,673 |
| Adult day health care, 5 days a week | $2,058 |
What assisted living costs per month
The national median rose 5% in a year, from $5,900 to $6,200 a month. A median means half of the communities surveyed charge more and half charge less. Spread over a day, it's about $204.
CareScout ran the survey from July to November 2025. Its surveyors reached licensed assisted living communities by phone and email and got 4,944 completed surveys. CareScout is a Genworth company. In California the same category is called a Residential Care Facility.
The $6,200 is a base rate for one person in a private unit. It isn't what every family pays. The National Institute on Aging notes that most places offer a few levels of care, and residents pay more for extra services or special care.
So treat the median as a starting point. Then ask each place for its written rates.
Assisted living cost by state
Every state and DC is listed, with the assisted living median next to both nursing home room types, all monthly and all from the same CareScout survey.
| State | Assisted living | Nursing home, shared room | Nursing home, private room |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $6,200 | $9,581 | $10,798 |
| Alabama | $4,425 | $8,334 | $8,787 |
| Alaska | $9,882 | $27,831 | - |
| Arizona | $6,250 | $8,365 | $11,437 |
| Arkansas | $4,637 | $7,452 | $8,060 |
| California | $7,000 | $12,167 | $15,178 |
| Colorado | $6,584 | $10,159 | $12,182 |
| Connecticut | $9,118 | $15,208 | $16,729 |
| Delaware | $7,600 | $14,494 | $15,132 |
| Florida | $5,610 | $10,342 | $12,167 |
| Georgia | $5,300 | $8,821 | $9,429 |
| Hawaii | $12,096 | $15,473 | $16,395 |
| Idaho | $5,175 | $10,494 | $12,167 |
| Illinois | $6,219 | $8,304 | $9,216 |
| Indiana | $5,639 | $8,943 | $10,326 |
| Iowa | $5,381 | $9,277 | $10,038 |
| Kansas | $5,975 | $8,669 | $9,064 |
| Kentucky | $5,528 | $9,718 | $11,254 |
| Louisiana | $5,163 | $7,604 | $8,076 |
| Maine | $8,205 | $13,976 | $14,904 |
| Maryland | $7,173 | $12,927 | $14,448 |
| Massachusetts | $9,600 | $14,448 | $15,817 |
| Michigan | $5,818 | $11,254 | $11,969 |
| Minnesota | $6,573 | $10,646 | $13,870 |
| Mississippi | $4,369 | $9,581 | $9,885 |
| Missouri | $5,400 | $6,741 | $7,604 |
| Montana | $6,075 | $8,973 | $9,581 |
| Nebraska | $6,350 | $8,377 | $9,216 |
| Nevada | $6,241 | $11,786 | $14,463 |
| New Hampshire | $8,025 | $12,243 | $13,444 |
| New Jersey | $8,710 | $12,775 | $14,448 |
| New Mexico | $5,950 | $9,125 | $10,633 |
| New York | $7,110 | $15,528 | $16,729 |
| North Carolina | $6,496 | $9,733 | $10,798 |
| North Dakota | $4,729 | $11,528 | $12,304 |
| Ohio | $6,103 | $9,186 | $10,389 |
| Oklahoma | $6,150 | $7,026 | $7,756 |
| Oregon | $6,875 | $16,760 | $18,448 |
| Pennsylvania | $6,480 | $11,954 | $13,688 |
| Rhode Island | $7,781 | $12,106 | $13,383 |
| South Carolina | $5,350 | $9,034 | $9,612 |
| South Dakota | $4,900 | $9,444 | $10,190 |
| Tennessee | $5,845 | $9,429 | $10,038 |
| Texas | $5,666 | $5,627 | $7,604 |
| Utah | $5,475 | $8,669 | $10,646 |
| Vermont | $8,597 | $14,113 | $15,528 |
| Virginia | $6,945 | $10,250 | $11,680 |
| Washington | $7,600 | $13,155 | $15,969 |
| West Virginia | $6,340 | $12,836 | $13,262 |
| Wisconsin | $6,540 | $10,646 | $12,319 |
| Wyoming | $5,325 | $9,916 | $10,923 |
The five lowest state medians for assisted living are Mississippi ($4,369), Alabama ($4,425), Arkansas ($4,637), North Dakota ($4,729) and South Dakota ($4,900). The five highest are Hawaii ($12,096), Alaska ($9,882), Massachusetts ($9,600), Connecticut ($9,118) and New Jersey ($8,710).
Florida sits below the national figure at $5,610. California sits above it at $7,000. We cover both in more depth: see the cost of assisted living in Florida and assisted living in California.
Texas is the odd one out. It's the only state where a semi-private nursing home room ($5,627) has a lower median than assisted living ($5,666).
What the monthly fee includes and what costs extra
The NIA lists the services residents usually get: up to 3 meals a day, help with personal care, help with medications, housekeeping and laundry. It also lists 24-hour supervision, security, on-site staff and social activities. Residents usually live in their own apartment or room and share common areas.
What's extra varies from place to place. Before you sign, ask each one whether these cost more:
- A one-time community or move-in fee
- Higher care levels, set after a care assessment
- Help with medication
- Incontinence care and supplies
- Transport to doctor visits
- Nursing services from a licensed nurse
- Special diets
Florida makes this easier to compare. Its rule 59A-36.006 requires every assisted living facility to give you a written statement of its daily, weekly or monthly charge. The statement must say what that rate includes and what personal care, nursing, transport and other services cost on top.
Assisted living vs nursing home cost
A nursing home costs far more. The US median for a semi-private room is $9,581 a month, which is $3,381 more than assisted living. A private room is $10,798, or $4,598 more.
The gap pays for a different kind of care. CareScout describes nursing homes as giving skilled nursing care 24 hours a day, plus therapy, supervision, meals and personal care. Assisted living gives help with daily tasks but not round-the-clock nursing.
The NIA puts it plainly: assisted living tends to cost less than a nursing home. If your parent can live safely with daily help, it's the cheaper setting. If they need nursing care all day and night, a nursing home is built for that. Our guide to assisted living vs nursing home sets the two side by side.
Memory care cost
CareScout doesn't publish a separate memory care median, so we don't print one. Memory care is often a separate wing or a higher care level inside an assisted living community. Each community sets its own price.
Use the assisted living median for your state as the floor. Then ask for the memory care rate in writing, and ask what it adds: more staff, a secured unit or dementia-trained aides.
In Florida a new state law creates a memory care services licence for assisted living facilities. Our memory care in Florida page explains it and lists the 824 Florida facilities that report a memory care program.
Ways to pay
The NIA says most people pay the full cost of assisted living themselves. Many families mix more than one source:
- Your parent's own income and savings. Social Security, pensions, savings and the sale of a home.
- Long-term care insurance. Some policies partly cover assisted living. Check the policy's terms.
- A Medicaid waiver. It can pay for care services in assisted living, but federal law bars these waivers from paying room and board. See our Medicaid waiver guide.
- A VA pension with Aid and Attendance. It adds a monthly payment for veterans and survivors who need help with daily tasks.
- SSI and state supplements. Florida's Optional State Supplement helps some low-income residents pay an assisted living facility.
Medicare isn't on the list. Medicare doesn't pay for long-term care, and that includes assisted living. Our Medicare guide covers what it does pay for. If money is very tight, read how to pay for assisted living with no money.
Sources: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025; National Institute on Aging; Florida Administrative Code rule 59A-36.006; Medicare.gov.
Questions families ask about cost
How much does assisted living cost per month?
The US median is $6,200 a month for a private one-bedroom unit, from the CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025. State medians run from $4,369 in Mississippi to $12,096 in Hawaii. Florida's is $5,610 and California's is $7,000.
Is it cheaper to live in an assisted living or nursing home?
Assisted living is cheaper. The US median is $6,200 a month, against $9,581 for a semi-private nursing home room and $10,798 for a private one. Texas is the only state where a shared nursing home room has a lower median than assisted living.
Why is assisted living so expensive?
You're paying for housing, meals and staff who are there 24 hours a day, all in one bill. For comparison, CareScout puts 44 hours a week of paid help at home at a median $6,673 a month. That's more than the assisted living median, and it doesn't include rent or food.
Does Medicare pay for assisted living?
No. Medicare doesn't pay for long-term care, which covers the rent, meals and personal care in assisted living. It still pays for covered medical care while your parent lives there, such as doctor visits and hospice.
How much is a monthly stay at a nursing home?
The US median is $9,581 a month for a semi-private room and $10,798 for a private room. In Florida it's $10,342 and $12,167. In California it's $12,167 and $15,178.
More guides for the decision
- Cost of assisted living in FloridaAssisted living in Florida costs a median $5,610 a month (CareScout 2025). What it covers, nursing home and memory care costs, and the Medicaid waiver.
- Does Medicare pay for assisted living?Medicare does not pay for assisted living rent or personal care. What it does cover, the nursing home 100-day rule, and what pays instead.
- Medicaid waiver for assisted livingMedicaid waivers pay for care in assisted living, not rent. How the waivers work, who qualifies, the waitlists, and the Florida and California lists.
- How to pay for assisted living with no moneyNo savings for assisted living? How Medicaid waivers, Florida's OSS, VA Aid and Attendance and a nursing home on Medicaid work, and where to ask first.
- Assisted living vs nursing homeAssisted living helps with daily tasks; a nursing home gives 24-hour nursing care. Compare the care, the median cost, who pays and how to choose.
- Florida assisted living regulationsFlorida ALF rules in plain words: the licence types, staff training, help with medication, discharge notice, resident rights and how to complain.
Or search assisted living near you.