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Senior Living in Santa Maria, CA: Every Licensed Community & 2026 Costs

Data updated November 2026·State licensing records andRatings from CMS Care Compare

Senior living in Santa Maria, California spans 95 state-licensed assisted living, memory care, and independent living communities and 14 Medicare-certified nursing homes across Santa Barbara County in California. 8 area nursing homes hold a 5-star CMS rating. Lilisity publishes no score or ranking for any community that has not earned an award; the licensing and CMS data below are public records.

Free family guideWhat care costs and how families pay

All senior living in Santa Maria: 95 licensed communities by county

Every assisted living, memory care, and independent living community licensed by the state in Santa Barbara County in California, from state licensing records. Listing here is not a rating: Lilisity publishes no score for any community that has not earned an award. Communities marked verified testimonials have phone-verified resident and family interviews on file.

Also listed from public records: 22 income-restricted senior apartment buildings. Independent living is not licensed by the state, so they are listed apart on each county page.

Santa Barbara County, CA 95 communities

How much does senior living cost in Santa Maria?

Assisted living in the Santa Maria area typically runs $4,500–$6,500 per month, with memory care $1,000–$1,500 above that and independent living below it; skilled nursing is billed through Medicare, Medicaid, or private pay rather than monthly rent. Rates vary widely by apartment size and care level, so ask for the community’s current rate sheet.

Care typeTypical Santa Maria rangeWhat it covers
Independent living$3,000 – $4,500Private apartment or cottage, meals and services optional
Assisted living$4,500 – $6,500Daily personal care, meals, medication management
Memory care$5,500 – $8,000Secured neighborhood, dementia-trained staff
Skilled nursingPayer-based24/7 medical care; Medicare/Medicaid/private pay

Ranges reflect operator-published market rates for the region, November 2026. California’s Medicaid waiver programs and VA Aid & Attendance can offset costs — see the FAQ below.

What are the highest-rated nursing homes in Santa Maria?

8 of the 14 Medicare-certified nursing homes in the Santa Maria metro hold the highest possible 5-star overall rating from CMS — including Mission Park Healthcare Center in Santa Barbara. Every facility below links to its full inspection history, staffing hours, and deficiency record.

Facility ↕Location ↕CMS rating ↕Beds ↕Operator ↕
Mission Park Healthcare CenterSanta Barbara, CA★★★★★ 5/5138Independent
Lompoc Valley Medical Center Comprehensive Care CenterLompoc, CA★★★★★ 5/5110Independent
Marian Regional Medical Center D/P SNFSanta Maria, CA★★★★★ 5/595Commonspirit Health
Villa Maria Post AcuteSanta Maria, CA★★★★★ 5/581The Ensign Group
Valle Verde Health FacilitySanta Barbara, CA★★★★★ 5/580Humangood
The CalifornianSanta Barbara, CA★★★★★ 5/568Independent
Samarkand Skilled Nursing FacilitySanta Barbara, CA★★★★★ 5/563Covenant Living
Atterdag Care CenterSolvang, CA★★★★★ 5/550Independent
Channel Islands Post AcuteSanta Barbara, CA★★★★☆ 4/5156The Ensign Group
Lompoc Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation CenterLompoc, CA★★★★☆ 4/5120Generations Healthcare
Valley Oaks Post AcuteSanta Maria, CA★★★☆☆ 3/559Independent
Santa Maria Post AcuteSanta Maria, CA★★★☆☆ 3/555Helene Mayer
Casa Dorinda (Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care)Santa Barbara, CA★★★☆☆ 3/552Independent
Buena Vista Care CenterSanta Barbara, CA★★☆☆☆ 2/5150Covenant Care

Source: CMS Care Compare, federal five-star quality rating system, retrieved November 2026. Lilisity republishes this government data unmodified; no facility can pay to change its rating.

Which Santa Maria areas have senior living?

Senior living in the Santa Maria metro is spread across Santa Barbara County in California. The cities with the most licensed communities and nursing homes are listed below; most sit within a short drive of the region’s hospital systems, which matters for families coordinating specialist care or hospital discharge.

California

  • Santa Maria (48)
  • Santa Barbara (40)
  • Goleta (8)
  • Lompoc (6)
  • Solvang (4)
  • Orcutt (1)
  • Buellton (1)
  • Carpinteria (1)

How these testimonials were collected and how we’re paid

  1. We interview residents and family members by phone, voice to voice — never web forms, never scraped from other sites.
  2. Every testimonial is named and dated, and verified against the community’s current resident or family list before publishing.
  3. Testimonials are published as given, including critical ones. The only scores or rankings we publish are the Top Communities list and the Excellence Awards.

How Lilisity is paid: Communities can pay Lilisity a flat monthly fee to manage their own listing: photos, prices, contact details, and receiving the inquiries families choose to send them. The fee is the same no matter how many families contact them or move in. Senior Living Alliance, which runs Lilisity, offers the same listing to its member communities as part of their membership; members pay SLA for its resident and family interview program. No community pays Lilisity per inquiry, per referral or per move-in. Payment never changes a testimonial, a rating, or the order of search results. The "Nearby Senior Living Alliance communities" box shows member communities only. CMS ratings come from the federal government, and testimonials come from residents. Read the full methodology → · How we are paid →

Assisted living and memory care by city

Assisted Living in Santa Maria 44Assisted Living in Santa Barbara 33Assisted Living in Goleta 8

Santa Maria senior living questions, answered

Most states, including California, offer a Medicaid waiver that covers care costs (not room and board) at participating assisted living communities for people who qualify financially and medically. Not every community accepts the waiver, so ask early. Veterans and surviving spouses may also qualify for VA Aid & Attendance, worth up to roughly $2,300 per month toward care.

Assisted living provides housing, meals, and help with daily tasks like bathing and medications in an apartment setting, state-licensed and mostly private pay. Nursing homes (skilled nursing) provide 24/7 medical care, are federally certified and CMS-rated, and are typically paid through Medicare, Medicaid, or long-term-care insurance.

Every facility in the table above links to its full record — CMS star ratings, health-inspection findings, staffing hours per resident, and any fines or penalties, sourced from Medicare's Care Compare data. 8 Santa Maria-area facilities currently hold a 5-star overall rating.

Assisted living moves can happen in days when a community has availability — after a nurse assessment and paperwork. Memory care placements after a crisis often complete within one to two weeks. Ask each community about openings when you call.

Lilisity publishes scores and rankings only for the Top Communities list and the Excellence Awards, both built from phone-verified interviews. The 95 communities listed by county come from state licensing records; CMS ratings apply only to Medicare-certified nursing homes.

Free help with senior living in Santa Maria

Our free guide shows the starting prices communities post for each kind of care, walks you through a monthly budget, and explains how insurance, VA benefits, Medicaid and Medicare can help. We don’t share your information with any community.

Cover of the Lilisity guide Paying for Senior Living

Free guide · 16 pages

Paying for Senior Living

Costs by type of care, a monthly budget, and how insurance, the VA, Medicaid and Medicare help.

Get the free guideRead it online
Cover of the Lilisity guide Paying for Senior Living

Free guide · 16 pages

Paying for Senior Living

Add your name and email, and the download link appears right here.

Free for families. No community pays Lilisity per inquiry, per referral or per move-in. How we are paid.
Explore more: All California senior livingSanta Barbara CountyHow testimonials are verifiedSenior living costs by state
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