Assisted Living in Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara has 33 state-licensed assisted living communities: 13 larger communities and 20 small residential homes (16 or fewer residents). The median cost of assisted living in California is $7,000 a month (CareScout 2025), against $6,200 nationally.
Free guide · 14 pages
Choosing Assisted Living
A practical guide for families, with checklists to take on your tours.
- What assisted living costs and the ways to pay
- Signs it may be time
- Tour checklists to print and take with you
- What residents and families told us matters most
Two kinds of assisted living in Santa Barbara
Both are licensed by California as assisted living. Larger communities suit people who want social life and on-site services; small homes suit people who do better with quiet, familiar routines, including many people with dementia. California words these licenses as “Residential Care Elderly” (29), “Rcfe-Continuing Care Retirement Community” (4).
All 33 licensed assisted living communities in Santa Barbara
Every assisted living community California licenses in Santa Barbara, from state records. Being listed is not a rating: Lilisity scores only communities with verified interviews (the Top Communities). Communities with verified testimonials are listed first, then by size.
33 shown
| Community | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Valle Verde900 Calle de Los Amigos | Large547 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Covenant Living at the Samarkand2550 Treasure Drive | Large379 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Casa Dorinda (Independent Living and Assisted Living and Continuing Care)300 Hot Springs Rd. | Large360 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Vista Del Monte3775 Modoc Road | Large266 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Maravilla5486 Calle Real | Large131 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Villa Santa Barbara227 E. Anapamu Street | Large126 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Cliff View Terrace1020 Cliff Drive | Large72 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Wood Glen Hall3010 Foothill Road | Large72 residents | about $2,751/moLilisity estimate |
| Heritage House-An Assisted Living Community5200 Hollister Ave. | Large68 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Oak Cottage of Santa Barbara Memory Care1820 de la Vina Street | Large50 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Villa Alamar45 E Alamar Ave | Mid-size43 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Alexander Gardens2120 Santa Barbara St | Mid-size36 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Santa Barbara Memory Care325 W Islay Street | Mid-size36 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Mission Villa321 West Mission Street | Small home15 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Above All Care4532 Nueces Drive | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Abundant Care5506 Somerset Drive | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Abundant Care II698 Zink Avenue | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Abundant Care III4589 Auhay Drive | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Abundant Care IV5421 Berkeley Road | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Casa Cambria Way803 Cambria Way | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Casa Naomi855 N. Patterson Ave. | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Casa San Miguel1403 San Miguel Ave. | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Casa Santecito717 Santecito Dr. | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Casa St. James2215 St. James Drive | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Comforts of Home Senior Care16 San Dimas Avenue | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Country Garden's Home Care for the Elderly778 Ribera Drive | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Divine Care for the Elderly4866 Frances Street | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Edelweiss Home294 Pebble Hill Drive | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Homecare Casa Linda4744 Avalon Avenue | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Lotus Villa924 Via Los Padres | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Mesa Care2424 Calle Soria | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Tree of Life Retirement Homes5364 Berkeley Road | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
| Your Home, RCFE128 San Rafael Avenue | Small home6 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
Independent living in Santa Barbara
Also in Santa Barbara: 5 independent living, life plan and 55+ communities in Santa Barbara and 6 income-restricted senior apartment buildings.
How much does assisted living cost in Santa Barbara?
The median cost of assisted living in California is $7,000 a month ($84,000 a year), above the national median of $6,200. That’s CareScout’s 2025 survey, collected July to November 2025. If more care is needed: nursing home costs in California, with CareScout medians and the private-pay rates nursing homes publish. Small residential homes often cost less than larger communities, though care needs, room type and services move the price more than the building does.
Medicare does not pay for assisted living. People pay from savings and income, long-term care insurance, or VA Aid and Attendance (up to $29,093 a year for a veteran in 2026), and some qualify for Medicaid help with care costs at communities that accept it. Who actually pays for long-term care.
Free tools: how long will the money last? · home care or assisted living? · VA Aid and Attendance estimator
Three questions to ask on every Santa Barbara tour
From about 23,000 concerns residents and families raised in Senior Living Alliance phone interviews, the most common are about dining, housekeeping and hearing back from management.
- Can I come back and eat a meal here, unannounced?Dining was 23% of all concerns: quality that changes day to day.
- How is laundry labeled and tracked, and what happens when something goes missing?Housekeeping was 17%.
- Who is my main contact, and how often will I hear from them?Communication with management was 15%.
All 8 tour questions, with a free printable tour card (PDF).
Check a Santa Barbara community’s license
California publishes licensing records, and in most cases inspection or complaint reports, for every community on this page. Look up any community on the state’s site: ccld.dss.ca.gov. Ask the community for its most recent inspection report too; they have to keep it.
Santa Barbara assisted living questions
California licenses 33 assisted living communities in Santa Barbara as of November 2026: 13 larger communities and 20 small residential homes of 16 or fewer residents, with about 2,315 licensed spots in all.
The median cost of assisted living in California is $7,000 a month (CareScout 2025), compared with $6,200 nationally. Prices vary with the room, the level of care and the community, so ask each one for its current rate sheet. The table on this page shows each community's published price or a Lilisity estimate where we have one, and our free guide lists the questions to ask about cost.
Medicaid doesn't pay rent or meals in assisted living. Most states offer a Medicaid waiver or program that can pay for care services at participating communities for people who qualify; not every community takes it, so ask each one. California's Medicaid agency or your local Area Agency on Aging can tell you what's available.
California publishes its licensing records at ccld.dss.ca.gov. You can also ask any community for its most recent state inspection report.