Nursing Home Costs in California
A semi-private nursing home room in California costs a median of $12,167 a month, and a private room $15,178 a month, according to CareScout’s 2025 Cost of Care Survey. Nationally the medians are $9,581 and $10,798.
Updated October 2026 · CareScout 2025 medians and published private-pay rates
How California compares with the national median
A semi-private room in California costs 27% more than the national median.
| Nursing home | California | U.S. | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-private room, a month | $12,167 | $9,581 | 27% higher |
| Private room, a month | $15,178 | $10,798 | 41% higher |
| Semi-private room, a year | $146,000 | $114,975 | 27% higher |
| Private room, a year | $182,135 | $129,575 | 41% higher |
Source: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, median nursing home costs, collected July to November 2025.
Rates California nursing homes publish
4 California nursing homes publish a private-pay rate, too few for a state median; across the U.S. the median published rate is $11,104 a month.
A published rate is what a nursing home says it charges people who pay privately, usually the lowest room rate. A rate quoted per day is shown as a month (the daily rate times 30.4). Medicaid and Medicare pay their own rates, not these.
Nursing homes with a published rate
| Nursing home | Starting rate, a month |
|---|---|
| Chaparral HouseBerkeley | $18,289 |
| Hayes Convalescent HospitalSan Francisco | $10,306 |
| Marycrest ManorCulver City | $12,738 |
| Victoria Post Acute CareEl Cajon | $13,680 |
Source: Lilisity review of nursing home websites and state price reports, October 2026. Rates posted on the nursing home’s own website or reported to the state, one per nursing home; estimates are not included.
What moves the price
- Room type. A private room costs more than a shared one; in California the CareScout medians differ by $3,011 a month.
- Care needs. Therapy, wound care, dementia care and other skilled services can add to the daily rate.
- What the rate covers. Ask what is billed on top: medication, supplies, laundry, beauty shop, phone and cable.
- Location. Rates differ between cities and between urban and rural areas.
California has 1,162 Medicare-certified nursing homes. Compare them by CMS rating, staffing and inspections.
Paying for a nursing home in California
- Medicare covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing care after a qualifying hospital stay, with a daily copayment after day 20. It does not pay for long-term custodial care.
- Medicaid pays for long-term nursing home care for people who qualify on income and assets. California’s Medicaid agency sets the rules; most nursing homes accept it.
- VA benefits: VA Aid and Attendance can pay up to $29,093 a year for a veteran with no dependents (2026), and some veterans qualify for VA nursing home care.
- Long-term care insurance and private pay: savings, income, home equity and family help.
Our free guide Paying for Senior Living walks through a monthly budget and each way to pay, and Choosing a Nursing Home covers what to check before you decide. Free tools: How long will the money last? · VA Aid and Attendance estimator.
Other care in California
Not everyone who needs help needs a nursing home. Assisted living and memory care cost less for people who do not need skilled nursing around the clock. All senior living in California lists every licensed community and nursing home by county. The California assisted living guide covers what assisted living costs in California and how it is licensed.
Assisted living by city
- Sacramento
- Fresno
- San Diego
- Mission Viejo
- Los Angeles
- San Jose
- Roseville
- Bakersfield
- Anaheim
- Riverside
- Elk Grove
- Concord
- Santa Rosa
- Torrance
- Escondido
- Clovis
- Carmichael
- Northridge
- Citrus Heights
- Granada Hills
- Thousand Oaks
- Orange
- Van Nuys
- Walnut Creek
- Huntington Beach
- Stockton
- Modesto
- Lancaster
- Vallejo
- San Mateo
Sources
- CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, median cost data tables (nursing home, semi-private and private room), collected July to November 2025: carescout.com/cost-of-care.
- Lilisity review of nursing home websites and state price reports, October 2026: private-pay rates posted by nursing homes on their own websites, archived copies of those pages, and private-pay rate reports some states publish. Rates dated before 2025, state veterans homes and rates under half the state’s CareScout semi-private median (usually an assisted living price on the same campus) are left out, as is a single figure from one web page credited to several nursing homes (a general statement such as “more than $8,000 a month”, not each home’s rate).
- Nursing home list: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Care Compare.
What will senior living cost, and how will we pay?
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.
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.