California Home Help

Cost of careNursing home / SNF

Nursing home / SNF

Cost of nursing home and skilled nursing care in California

Updated September 16, 2026. Reviewed September 16, 2026 against public CDSS, DHCS, Medicare.gov, VA, and CareScout 2025 California tables. County wages, hours, and wait times still change. Official .gov pages decide.

A skilled nursing facility is a licensed health facility, not assisted living and not the IHSS own-home setting. CareScout’s 2025 California medians are $12,167 per month for a semi-private room and $15,178 per month for a private room. Medicare may cover a limited skilled stay after a qualifying hospital period. Long-stay custodial care is typically private pay or Medi-Cal.

Planning estimate only. Figures use CareScout 2025 California statewide medians plus labeled planning bands. They are not a quote, not a facility admission, not a Medi-Cal or IHSS eligibility result, and not an hours authorization. Agency and community prices vary by county and by acuity. IHSS hours and provider pay are county and Medi-Cal decisions. This site does not calculate an IHSS paycheck. Licensed home care organizations and residential communities set their own private-pay terms. County IHSS staff authorize tasks. County Medi-Cal staff decide coverage and any share of cost. Ask those offices and providers for the number that counts.

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Short answer

Low $12,167/month (semi-private median). High $15,178/month (private-room median). Mid $13,673 is the average of those two published monthly figures. Annual private-room median is $182,135.

How this number is sourced

Low is the CareScout 2025 California median for a semi-private nursing-home room ($12,167/month). High is the private-room median ($15,178/month). Mid is the average of those two published figures. Medicare does not pay for long-stay custodial nursing-home care.

IHSS and Medi-Cal at home

IHSS stops while someone lives in a nursing facility. If the plan is a return home, keep Medi-Cal current and ask the county how to restart or continue the in-home file. Discharge planners name a setting. They do not issue an IHSS Notice of Action.

Related tools and resources

Official sources

Official California sources

Official program pages: CDSS: In-Home Supportive Services, CDSS: IHSS for children, County IHSS offices, CDSS: IHSS providers, CDSS: county IHSS wage rates, CDSS: provider orientation, CDSS: Electronic Visit Verification, CDSS: Electronic Services Portal, DHCS: Medi-Cal, Apply for Medi-Cal, BenefitsCal, CDSS: hearing requests, CDSS: forms catalog, CDSS: IHSS overtime and workweek, DDS: regional centers.

Planning estimate only. Not a quote, not a facility admission, not a Medi-Cal or IHSS eligibility result, and not an hours authorization. Rates vary by county, agency, and facility. IHSS hours and provider pay are county and Medi-Cal decisions. We do not calculate IHSS paycheck amounts. Licensed agencies and facilities set their own private-pay terms. County IHSS staff authorize tasks. County Medi-Cal staff decide coverage and any share of cost. Ask those offices and providers for the number that counts.

Illustrative cost planner

Live dollar totals for private-pay settings, using CareScout 2025 California medians. IHSS is shown as a program path, not as a household paycheck.

Hours of help per week

Private home care is billed by the hour. CareScout publishes its California home-care median on a 44 hour/week basis. Facility rows stay monthly fees even if you change hours.

About 2.9 hours/day across 7 days

Days per week (optional)

Used to show hours/day and to model live-in framing as 12 billed hours times the days you choose. Facility fees do not change with this number.

Which setting are you pricing?

Estimated private-pay cost

Nursing home

$12,167 to $15,178monthly

Low
$12,167
Midpoint
$13,673
High
$15,178

Annual: $146,004 to $182,136Midpoint $164,076 per year

This setting is billed as a monthly fee. The hours slider still prices licensed private home care for the same weekly help so you can compare staying home. Private-pay home care at 20 hours/week: $3,033 to $3,900 per month.

How this number was calculated

Low $12,167 (semi-private median) to high $15,178 (private-room median). Mid $13,673 is the average of those two published monthly figures. Hours/week do not change this facility fee.

Compare settings at these hours

Private home care (licensed HCO)

$3,467/month mid

$3,033 to $3,900 monthly · $41,600 per year at midpoint · 20 hours/week

Live-in home care (hourly framing)

$14,560/month mid

$12,740 to $16,380 monthly · $174,720 per year at midpoint · 84 hours/week

Assisted living (RCFE)

$7,000/month mid

$5,600 to $8,400 monthly · $84,000 per year at midpoint

Memory care

$9,100/month mid

$8,400 to $9,800 monthly · $109,200 per year at midpoint

Nursing home

$13,673/month mid

$12,167 to $15,178 monthly · $164,076 per year at midpoint

IHSS / Medi-Cal path

Wage set by county

Private-pay alternative: $3,033 to $3,900 per month for the same hours.

Assumptions and sources

CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, July through November 2025. California statewide median. Published 2025 by CareScout.

  • Private home care midpoint uses the CareScout 2025 California non-medical caregiver median of $40 per hour.
  • Assisted living midpoint uses the CareScout 2025 California median of $7,000 per month for a private one-bedroom residential care facility.
  • Memory care is a 20% / 30% / 40% planning premium on that assisted living median. CareScout does not publish a separate memory-care row.
  • Nursing home low and high are the published semi-private and private-room medians.
  • Live-in framing bills 12 hours/day, not 24 times the hourly rate.
  • If a county authorizes in-home help, the program may cover those authorized services. A family member may be paid as the provider after enrollment. Hours and the hourly wage are county and Medi-Cal decisions. This planner does not calculate an IHSS paycheck and does not say anyone will receive a set amount.

Paying for care and official pages

Questions people ask

How much does a nursing home cost in California?
CareScout’s 2025 California medians are $12,167 per month for a semi-private room and $15,178 per month for a private room. Those are statewide medians, not a specific facility’s bill.
Does Medicare pay for a long nursing-home stay?
Medicare may cover a limited skilled stay that meets its rules. It does not pay for ongoing custodial long-term care. Read Medicare: long-term care and Medicare: skilled nursing facility care, then ask the hospital or the plan about this stay.
When does Medi-Cal pay?
Medi-Cal long-term care is a separate billing conversation from IHSS at home. Share of cost can apply. Ask the county. Do not guess the amount from this page.
Can we use IHSS instead of a nursing facility?
Only if the person will live in their own home and the county authorizes in-home tasks. A facility is not own home. Compare settings on the compare page, then file IHSS in the county where the parent will actually live.
How do I compare this with home care?
Use the calculator on this page. The facility fee does not change with the hours slider. Private home care for the same weekly hours is shown as the stay-home alternative, using the CareScout hourly median.

See if IHSS may apply

A coordinator can walk through Medi-Cal, county forms, and the home visit with you. The county still decides eligibility and hours.

For example: starting an IHSS application, provider enrollment, or county forms. Keep medical records and diagnoses for the county packet.