How Much Does a Nursing Home Cost?

Nursing home care often costs more than $9,000 a month. Here’s what drives the price, who pays for what, and what to ask each home.

By the Care & Place team · Updated October 2026

Nursing home care is one of the biggest costs a family can face. Knowing typical prices, and who pays for what, helps you plan before a crisis.

What families typically pay

CareScout runs a yearly national Cost of Care Survey of long-term care providers. Its 2025 survey, done from July to November 2025, found these national medians for nursing homes:

• Semi-private room (shared with one other resident): $315 a day, or about $9,581 a month.
• Private room: $355 a day, or about $10,798 a month.

Over a full year, that comes to about $114,975 for a shared room and $129,575 for a private one. “Median” means half the homes surveyed charged less and half charged more.

Why prices vary so much

The national figure is only a starting point. The price you are quoted can be well above or below it.

• Location. Costs differ from state to state, and between cities and rural areas.
• Room type. A private room costs more than a shared one.
• Care needs. Some homes may charge more for memory care or heavier care.
• What the daily rate includes. Some services may be billed as extras, such as personal laundry, hair care, phone or cable.

What homes spend versus what you pay

Our page What nursing homes spend per resident day, by state uses the cost reports homes file with Medicare. The typical home spends about $353 a day per resident nationally.

That is the home’s own operating cost, not the price families pay. It is useful for comparing states, but always ask each home for its actual rates.

What Medicare pays

Medicare does not pay for long-term care. It only covers a short stay of skilled care, such as rehab, after a qualifying hospital stay.

To qualify, you need an inpatient hospital stay of at least three days in a row. Time under observation or in the emergency room does not count. You generally must enter the nursing home within 30 days of leaving the hospital, and need daily skilled care.

If you qualify, here is what you pay in 2026 for each benefit period:

• Days 1–20: $0 a day, after the Part A deductible.
• Days 21–100: $217 a day.
• Day 101 and after: you pay all costs.

Try our Medicare calculator to estimate a rehab stay. Our guide to Medicare and skilled nursing explains the rules in more detail.

Medicaid

Medicaid can pay for long-term nursing home care if the resident meets their state’s income and savings rules. Each state sets its own details.

Residents on Medicaid usually pay most of their own income toward their care. They keep a small personal needs allowance. A spouse at home can keep some savings and income.

Ask each home whether it accepts Medicaid. Also ask whether residents who start as private pay can stay once they switch to Medicaid. See each state’s Medicaid rules, and our guides to the Medicaid look-back period and protecting a spouse at home.

Long-term care insurance

Some people buy a private long-term care insurance policy. If your relative has one, find it early and read it closely.

Check the daily benefit, how long benefits last, and any waiting period before payments start. Call the insurer to ask how to file a claim.

Veterans benefits

The VA offers nursing home care in VA Community Living Centers, contracted community nursing homes and State Veterans Homes. The veteran must be enrolled in VA health care, and VA must decide the care is needed.

Whether VA helps pay depends on income and service-connected disability. See our veterans pages for more.

Plan with our free tools

• Cost planner: estimate how long savings may last and when Medicaid may apply.
• Medicare calculator: estimate your share of a rehab stay.
• Spending per resident day, by state: compare what homes spend in each state.
• State Medicaid rules: income and savings rules where you live.

What to ask a home about its rates

• What is the daily rate for a shared room and a private room?
• What does the daily rate include, and what costs extra?
• Is there a higher rate for memory care or heavier care?
• How often do rates go up, and how much notice do you give?
• Do you accept Medicaid? Can my relative stay if they switch to Medicaid?
• Is a deposit required, and when is it refunded?
• Can I see the admission agreement before we sign?

For free, unbiased help with Medicare questions, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Your Area Agency on Aging, found through the Eldercare Locator, and your state Medicaid office can explain local options.