{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Dataset", "name": "California Senior Care Cost Planning Ranges 2026", "description": "Editorial private-pay planning ranges for non-medical in-home care, assisted living, and memory care across seven California metros. Benchmarked to CareScout's 2025 California medians and supplemented with DHCS program-rate and CDSS licensing context. These are rounded planning estimates, not a provider survey or statistical percentiles.", "version": "2026.1", "datePublished": "2026-05-21", "dateModified": "2026-07-11", "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "publisher": "California Care Compass", "url": "https://californiacarecompass.com/data/california-cost-of-care-2026", "spatialCoverage": "California, United States", "temporalCoverage": "2026-01-01/2026-12-31", "currency": "USD", "keywords": [ "California senior care cost", "assisted living cost California", "memory care cost California", "non-medical home care California rate", "in-home care California cost", "CareScout 2025 California benchmark" ], "metros": [ { "id": "bay-area", "name": "San Francisco Bay Area", "counties": ["San Francisco", "San Mateo", "Santa Clara", "Alameda", "Marin", "Contra Costa"] }, { "id": "west-la", "name": "West Los Angeles", "counties": ["Los Angeles (west of 405)"] }, { "id": "orange-county", "name": "Orange County (coastal)", "counties": ["Orange (coastal cities)"] }, { "id": "san-diego", "name": "San Diego", "counties": ["San Diego"] }, { "id": "sacramento", "name": "Sacramento", "counties": ["Sacramento", "Placer", "El Dorado", "Yolo"] }, { "id": "inland-empire", "name": "Inland Empire", "counties": ["San Bernardino", "Riverside"] }, { "id": "central-valley", "name": "Central Valley", "counties": ["Fresno", "Kern", "San Joaquin", "Stanislaus", "Merced", "Tulare"] } ], "careTypes": [ { "id": "memory-care", "name": "Memory care", "unit": "USD per month", "scope": "Residential memory care in an RCFE with secured-perimeter approval, median private-pay rate, mid-acuity resident." }, { "id": "assisted-living", "name": "Assisted living", "unit": "USD per month", "scope": "Standard private apartment in a licensed RCFE, median private-pay rate, Level 1 to Level 2 care, base rent plus typical level-of-care add-ons." }, { "id": "in-home-care-non-medical", "name": "Non-medical in-home care", "unit": "USD per hour", "scope": "Agency-arranged private-pay home-care aide hours, median rate. Excludes IHSS, LTC insurance, and VA-paid arrangements." } ], "data": [ { "metro": "bay-area", "careType": "memory-care", "low": 9500, "high": 11500, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "west-la", "careType": "memory-care", "low": 9000, "high": 11000, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "orange-county", "careType": "memory-care", "low": 8500, "high": 10500, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "san-diego", "careType": "memory-care", "low": 8500, "high": 10500, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "sacramento", "careType": "memory-care", "low": 7500, "high": 9500, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "inland-empire", "careType": "memory-care", "low": 7000, "high": 9000, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "central-valley", "careType": "memory-care", "low": 6500, "high": 8500, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "bay-area", "careType": "assisted-living", "low": 6500, "high": 8500, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "west-la", "careType": "assisted-living", "low": 5800, "high": 7500, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "orange-county", "careType": "assisted-living", "low": 5800, "high": 7500, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "san-diego", "careType": "assisted-living", "low": 5500, "high": 7000, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "sacramento", "careType": "assisted-living", "low": 4800, "high": 6200, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "inland-empire", "careType": "assisted-living", "low": 4500, "high": 5800, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "central-valley", "careType": "assisted-living", "low": 4200, "high": 5500, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "bay-area", "careType": "in-home-care-non-medical", "low": 38, "high": 42, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "west-la", "careType": "in-home-care-non-medical", "low": 36, "high": 40, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "orange-county", "careType": "in-home-care-non-medical", "low": 36, "high": 40, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "san-diego", "careType": "in-home-care-non-medical", "low": 34, "high": 38, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "sacramento", "careType": "in-home-care-non-medical", "low": 33, "high": 36, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "inland-empire", "careType": "in-home-care-non-medical", "low": 33, "high": 36, "asOf": "2026-05" }, { "metro": "central-valley", "careType": "in-home-care-non-medical", "low": 30, "high": 34, "asOf": "2026-05" } ], "methodology": { "frequency": "Quarterly refresh", "sources": [ "CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 California and national medians", "California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Assisted Living Waiver rate schedules", "Genworth Financial release describing the CareScout 2025 survey methodology and findings", "California Department of Social Services (CDSS) RCFE provider registry for licensing and geographic context" ], "estimationMethod": "The CareScout 2025 California medians anchor the statewide center at $7,000 per month for assisted living and $40 per hour for non-medical caregiving. California Care Compass applies rounded regional planning adjustments around those anchors and adds an editorial memory-care premium.", "limitations": "This is not a primary-research survey, and the regional adjustments are not independently reproducible from a raw provider-level file. The figures are editorial planning estimates, not surveyed medians or statistical percentiles. Facilities and agencies can price outside these ranges.", "notes": "Use CareScout directly for a defensible statewide survey median. Use these regional bands only for early budgeting, and obtain written provider quotes for decisions." }, "citation": "California Care Compass. California Senior Care Cost Planning Ranges 2026. Version 2026.1, corrected 2026-07-11. https://californiacarecompass.com/data/california-cost-of-care-2026" }