State costs
California Nursing Home Costs in 2026: Average Monthly Price
Quick answer: a California nursing home costs about $12,167 a month for a semi-private room and about $15,178 a month for a private room, per the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey. That is roughly $146,004 and $182,135 a year. Both figures are medians, and both sit well above the national median.
Data: CareScout Cost of Care Survey — 2025 national medians
Data: CareScout Cost of Care Survey — 2025 national medians — fieldwork July–November 2025.
How much does a California nursing home cost per month?
The CareScout Cost of Care Survey is the survey most state agencies, insurance carriers, and financial planners use for long-term care pricing. Its 2025 edition, with fieldwork from July through November 2025, reports these California medians:
| Room type | Monthly median | Annual median | Daily median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing home, semi-private room | $12,167 | $146,004 | $400 |
| Nursing home, private room | $15,178 | $182,135 | $499 |
| Assisted living community | $7,000 | $84,000 | $230 |
Source: CareScout Cost of Care Survey, 2025 edition, California and national median cost tables. Monthly figures are the survey's published monthly medians, or the annual median divided by 12 where the survey publishes the annual figure.
Two notes on reading these numbers. First, a median is not a bill: half of the surveyed California facilities reported rates below these figures and half reported rates above them. Second, the rate a facility quotes is often the base rate. Therapy supplies, incontinence products, transportation, and a private-room premium typically sit outside it. We cover those extras in the costs that are not in the quoted monthly rate.
How does California compare with the national median?
The national median in the same 2025 survey was $9,581 a month for a semi-private room and $10,798 for a private room. California sits above both figures, and it sits above most states on the private-room measure: the survey's state ranking put California eighth highest in the country for a private room, at $182,135 a year. Only Oregon, Connecticut, New York, Hawaii, Washington, Massachusetts, and Vermont were higher.
| Measure (2025 survey) | California | National | California vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-private room, per month | $12,167 | $9,581 | about 27% higher |
| Private room, per month | $15,178 | $10,798 | about 41% higher |
| Assisted living, per month | $7,000 | $6,200 | about 13% higher |
The pattern is worth noticing if you are comparing settings rather than states. Assisted living costs far less than a nursing home in California, because assisted living is not required to staff licensed nursing coverage around the clock. Whether that saving is available to your family depends on the level of care the person needs, not on the price difference.
Semi-private or private room: what is the difference in price?
The gap in California is $3,011 a month, or about $36,132 a year, between a semi-private and a private room. That is the single largest optional line item most families encounter, and it is usually not covered: Medicare pays for a private room only when it is medically necessary, and Medi-Cal has the same standard, so a family that wants a private room for privacy typically pays the difference out of pocket.
One practical point. Private-room availability in California is not purely a budget question. Facilities keep a limited number of private rooms, so the decision is often made by availability at the time of admission rather than by price alone.
What drives nursing home prices in California?
Labor is the biggest input, and California regulates it more aggressively than most states. Two wage floors apply to a California nursing home:
- The statewide minimum wage is $16.90 an hour as of January 1, 2026, per the California Department of Industrial Relations. It is indexed, so it rises most years.
- Labor Code section 1182.14, the health care worker minimum wage enacted by SB 525, requires covered health care facilities to pay $19.28 to $25 an hour as of July 1, 2026, depending on facility type, with the tiers stepping up to $25 by 2033.
Skilled nursing is also a licensed-nursing setting. Nursing homes must have licensed nursing staff on duty on every shift, plus a medical director, infection control oversight, and compliance staff that a residential care setting does not carry. Federal and state survey requirements add administrative and reporting cost on top of direct care. Real estate and local labor markets explain the rest of the state-to-state gap: the same building and the same staffing model costs more in the Bay Area or Los Angeles than in a rural county, which is why the statewide median is a starting point and not a quote. Statewide medians are also published by the survey for hundreds of metro areas if you need a local figure.
Does Medicare pay for a nursing home stay in California?
Medicare Part A pays for skilled nursing facility care for up to 100 days per benefit period, and only after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least three days. The structure is the same in California as anywhere else, because it is a federal benefit. The 2026 amounts, from the CMS fact sheet on 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles, are:
| Days of SNF care in a benefit period | What you pay in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Days 1 through 20 | $0 per day, after the $1,736 Part A deductible |
| Days 21 through 100 | $217 per day ($209.50 in 2025) |
| Day 101 and beyond | All costs |
Using all 80 coinsurance days at $217 works out to about $17,360 in the year, and many Medigap plans cover that coinsurance. The larger point for a California family is structural: Medicare pays for recovery, not for residential care. Long-term custodial care, which is help with bathing, dressing, eating, and supervision, is excluded. A resident who needs that level of help for years is not a Medicare case, which is why the next section matters more in practice. Our Medicare nursing home coverage guide walks through the qualifying-stay rules in more detail.
Does Medi-Cal pay for nursing home care?
Yes. Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, is the largest payer for long-stay nursing home care in the state. To qualify, an applicant generally must need nursing-facility level of care and meet the state's asset and income rules. Three rules matter most for planning in 2026:
- An asset limit applies again. California suspended the Medi-Cal asset test on January 1, 2024, then reinstated it on January 1, 2026. The limits are $130,000 for an individual and $195,000 for a couple, plus $65,000 for each additional household member, according to CANHR's 2026 asset limit FAQ.
- Most income goes to the facility. A nursing home resident on Medi-Cal must contribute most of their monthly income toward the cost of care, keeping only a small personal needs allowance. Medi-Cal covers the balance. This is why the monthly price above matters even for a family that expects Medi-Cal to help: the state pays the difference between the resident's share of cost and the facility rate.
- The look-back period is back. The 30-month asset transfer look-back period, suspended in recent years, applies again. Gifts or transfers made in that window can trigger a period of ineligibility, calculated by dividing the transferred amount by the state's average private pay rate.
If the person is married, the community spouse keeps a protected share of assets instead of the single limit, and the look-back rules and spousal impoverishment protections are worth reading before you file. California-specific application steps are handled by your county Medi-Cal office.
How do I check what a specific facility charges?
Ask the admissions office for the current rate schedule in writing, and ask which services sit outside the base rate. Medicare's official Care Compare tool (medicare.gov/care-compare) lists every Medicare-certified nursing home in California with staffing levels, inspection results, and ownership information, which lets you compare facilities on more than price. California's skilled nursing facilities are licensed and inspected by the California Department of Public Health, and its public inspection database lists citations by facility.
You can also estimate the yearly number for your own situation with our care cost calculator, and compare the state against others in nursing home costs by state. The nursing home cost hub page for California is at California nursing home costs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a nursing home cost in California per month?
In the CareScout Cost of Care Survey for 2025 (fieldwork July through November 2025), the median cost of a California nursing home was $12,167 a month for a semi-private room ($146,004 a year) and $15,178 a month for a private room ($182,135 a year). The survey reports medians, so half of the surveyed California facilities charged more than that and half charged less.
Is California more expensive than the national median for nursing home care?
Yes. The same 2025 survey put the national median at $9,581 a month for a semi-private room and $10,798 for a private room. California's semi-private median of $12,167 is about 27% above the national figure, and its private-room median of $15,178 is about 41% above it. In the survey's state ranking, California had the 8th highest private-room cost in the country.
What is the difference between a semi-private and a private room?
A semi-private room is shared, usually with one other resident and a curtain or partial divider between beds. A private room is occupied by one resident. In California the gap in the 2025 survey was $3,011 a month ($15,178 versus $12,167), or about $36,132 a year. Medicare and Medi-Cal generally pay for a private room only when it is medically necessary, so families who want one usually pay the difference themselves.
Does Medicare pay for a nursing home stay in California?
Medicare Part A pays for up to 100 days of skilled nursing facility care per benefit period, and only after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay. In 2026 you pay nothing for days 1 through 20 after the $1,736 Part A deductible, then $217 a day for days 21 through 100; from day 101 you pay the full cost. Medicare does not cover long-term custodial care, which is help with bathing, dressing, eating, and supervision, and that is what most long-stay nursing home residents need. The 2026 amounts come from the CMS fact sheet on 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles.
Does Medi-Cal pay for nursing home care in California?
Yes. Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, is the main payer for long-stay nursing home care in the state. A single applicant must need nursing-facility level of care and, as of January 1, 2026, hold countable assets under $130,000; for a married couple the limit is $195,000, plus $65,000 for each additional household member. A resident must also contribute most of their monthly income toward the cost of care, with Medi-Cal covering the balance once that share of cost is met. California reinstated these asset limits on January 1, 2026, along with the 30-month asset transfer look-back period, according to CANHR's 2026 asset limit FAQ.
Are California nursing home prices still rising?
The most recent survey shows slower growth than the two years before it. Nationally, the median daily rate for a semi-private room rose 2% to $315 a day and the private room rate rose 1% to $355 a day between the 2024 and 2025 surveys, which CareScout attributes to ongoing inflation and workforce pressure in higher-acuity settings. The prior year's survey had reported a 7% national increase for a semi-private room.
Why is nursing home care more expensive in California than in most states?
Labor is the largest single cost in a nursing home, and California sets both a high statewide wage floor and a separate health care wage schedule. The state minimum wage is $16.90 an hour as of January 1, 2026, per the California Department of Industrial Relations. On top of that, Labor Code section 1182.14 requires covered health care facilities to pay $19.28 to $25 an hour as of July 1, 2026, with the tiers stepping up to $25 by 2033. Skilled nursing also requires round-the-clock licensed nursing coverage, which a residential setting like assisted living does not, so the same building costs more to staff.
How can I find out what a specific California facility charges?
Ask for the facility's current rate schedule in writing, not the number quoted on the phone. Rate schedules change and often exclude the add-ons families later dispute, such as therapy supplies, specialized diets, or a private room premium. For quality and ownership information, use Medicare's official Care Compare tool at medicare.gov/care-compare, which lists every Medicare-certified nursing home in California with staffing and inspection results. California's own inspection records for skilled nursing facilities are published by the California Department of Public Health.
Where these numbers come from
State cost figures are medians from the CareScout Cost of Care Survey, 2025 edition, fieldwork July through November 2025: the California row and the national row of the published median cost tables, and the survey's state ranking table for the private-room comparison. Medicare amounts for 2026 come from the CMS fact sheet on 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles, and the 100-day limit and the distinction between skilled care and custodial care come from Medicare.gov. California wage floors come from the California Department of Industrial Relations, including Labor Code section 1182.14. Medi-Cal asset limits, the income contribution rule, and the reinstated 30-month look-back period are described in CANHR's 2026 asset limit reinstatement FAQ and are administered through county Medi-Cal offices. Facility quality and inspection information comes from Medicare Care Compare and the California Department of Public Health. This is general information about program rules, not financial, legal, or tax advice for a particular situation.
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