How much does nursing home care cost?
CareScout's 2025 Cost of Care Survey puts the national median at $114,975 a year for a semi-private nursing home room and $129,575 for a private room. Costs vary widely by state — use the state cost tables for local numbers.
National medians, 2025
| Setting | Annual median | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing home — semi-private room | $114,975 | $9,581 |
| Nursing home — private room | $129,575 | $10,798 |
| Assisted living community | $74,400 | $6,200 |
| Adult day health care | $24,700 | $2,058 |
| Homemaker services (44 h/week) | $80,080 | $6,673 |
| In-home caregiver (hourly median) | $35/hour | — |
What these numbers include — and what they do not
The survey reports median private-pay rates for the base service. Nursing home rates cover room, board and routine nursing care; they generally do not include medications, therapy add-ons, specialised care, transport or beauty/laundry services. Assisted living rates often exclude a la carte care charges. The median is not your price: a facility's own quote, the level of care, the room type and the state all move it.
How the cost changes with level of care
In-home help is billed hourly; nursing homes bill daily. The annual figures for homemaker services assume 44 hours of help per week, and adult day health care assumes 5 days a week — use the hourly rate to model the hours you actually need. Nursing home care is the most expensive setting, and a private room costs roughly $14,600 a year more than a semi-private room nationally.
Who pays
Medicare covers only short-term skilled care (up to 100 days after a qualifying hospital stay) and does not pay for custodial care; Medicaid pays for long-term care for people who meet their state's income and asset limits; VA benefits, long-term care insurance and private funds cover the rest. See how to pay for nursing home care.
State variation
State medians for a semi-private room range from well under $100,000 to more than $300,000 a year in the most expensive states. The cost tables by state show the survey medians next to each state's facility list, so you can compare local prices with the facilities actually certified there.
Source: CareScout (formerly Genworth) Cost of Care Survey 2025, median cost data tables, retrieved 2026-10-24. Figures are national/state medians for private pay, not quotes.
Written and maintained by the US Nursing Homes data team · last reviewed 2026-10-24 · sources and methodology.