Assisted Living in Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz has 13 state-licensed assisted living communities: 8 larger communities and 5 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 Cruz
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” (13).
All 13 licensed assisted living communities in Santa Cruz
Every assisted living community California licenses in Santa Cruz, 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.
13 shown
| Community | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Dominican Oaks3400 Paul Sweet Road | Large142 residents | from $1,200/mo |
| Sunshine Villa Assisted Living and Memory Care80 Front Street | Large132 residents | from $5,395/mo |
| Westwind Memory Care160 Jewell Street | Large59 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Valley Haven III2266 Chanticleer Ave. | Mid-size48 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Maple House II2000 Brommer Street | Mid-size40 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Paradise Assisted Care2177 17th Ave | Mid-size39 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Live in Serenity1340 17th Ave | Mid-size32 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| The Maple House410 Pennsylvania Avenue | Mid-size22 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Hanover Guest Home813 Hanover Street | Small home15 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Mariposa.sc740740 17th Ave | Small home14 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Alexandria Victoria226 Morrissey Boulevard | Small home13 residents | $4,350 to $7,000/moLilisity estimate |
| Twin Lakes Manor777 Volz Lane | Small home12 residents | from $1,500/mo |
| Alexandria Victoria 2228 Morrissey Blvd | Small home8 residents | $4,800 to $7,750/moLilisity estimate |
How much does assisted living cost in Santa Cruz?
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. 3 Santa Cruz communities publish a starting price on Lilisity, from $1,200 to $5,395 a month. 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 Cruz 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 Cruz 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 Cruz assisted living questions
California licenses 13 assisted living communities in Santa Cruz as of November 2026: 8 larger communities and 5 small residential homes of 16 or fewer residents, with about 576 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.