Last Updated: December 20, 2018
A move to an assisted living community is a major financial decision. Learn how to make your assisted living budget go further by focusing your search on nearby cities with the most affordable options.
Stretch Your Assisted Living Budget With the Senior Living Cost Index
Typical assisted living costs range nationally from $2,225 to 6,307 per month. That’s $26,701-75,682 per year. The cost depends in part on the level of amenities you desire, but more than anything, it depends on where you live.
To save money on assisted living, your best bet is often to move to a more affordable city. Thankfully, you usually don’t have to move that far.
With an example from each U.S. region, we show you how to use A Place for Mom’s Senior Living Cost Index to compare typical assisted living costs among the different cities in your area.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Find your city’s typical costs.
Step 2: Zoom out and get the lay of the land.
Step 3: Compare prices and look up drive times.
Step 4: Make sure it’s the right city for you.
There are trade-offs between affordability, lifestyle and safety. More affordable regions tend to be less densely populated and have lower crime rates, but fewer neighborhood amenities or public transit options. Within a city, the more affordable areas tend to have higher crime rates.
To check the quality of public transit options and nearby amenities, use Walk Score. Websites like NeighborhoodScout can give you a sense of local crime rates.
Example 1: Seattle
Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. The Seattle area also hosts many retirees from companies like Boeing.
- Median assisted living costs in city limits are $7,308 per year more expensive than the nation as a whole
- On average, you won’t save much per year by moving outside the city
- The five cheapest cities in the Seattle area are Auburn, Federal Way, Normandy Park, Kent and Everett
- All five of the cheapest cities have a lower crime rate than Seattle, but have fewer neighborhood amenities and public transit options
- Among the five cheapest cities, Kent has the lowest crime rate (with $3,795 average savings per year compared to Seattle), and Everett has the highest ($3,847 average savings per year)
- Auburn offers the greatest savings ($5,675 average savings per year) and has a vibrant downtown
- If you really must live in a city complete with museums and a nice waterfront, try Tacoma ($7,407 average savings per year), which has a comparable crime rate to Seattle and hosts the beautiful Museum of Glass
Example 2: Chicago
Chicago is surprisingly affordable compared to other large cities like Los Angeles, Boston or New York. Unlike Seattle, the city proper is cheaper on average than the surrounding metro area.
- Median assisted living costs in city limits are similar to the nation as a whole
- Affluent suburbs and villages like Oak Park drive up the median cost for the Chicago metro area; staying in the city would save you $4,307 per year on average
- At least four Chicago-area cities are cheaper than the city itself: Blue Island, Chicago Heights, Park Forest and Melrose Park
- Of those cheaper cities, Melrose Park has the lowest crime rate (with $1,160 average savings per year compared to Chicago) and Chicago Heights ($1,934 average savings per year) has the highest, at least according to NeighborhoodScout
- Blue Island offers the greatest savings ($2,886 average savings per year) and has an 18% lower crime rate compared to Chicago Heights (but 26% higher than Melrose Park)
Example 3: Atlanta
Compared to Chicago, assisting living costs in the city of Atlanta are closer on average to the surrounding metro area.
- Median assisted living costs in city limits are nearly $2,000 cheaper per year than the national median
- On average, you could save only $600 per year by staying in the city
- The most affordable five cities in the metro area are Forest Park, Griffin, Morrow, Union City and Carrollton
- Of the five most affordable cities, Carrollton has the lowest crime rate (with $4,417 average annual savings compared to Atlanta) and Morrow ($4,414 average savings per year) has the highest, at least according to NeighborhoodScout
- Carrollton and Forest Park are the only two among the five most affordable cities with a lower crime rate than Atlanta
- Forest Park offers the greatest savings ($6,085 per year compared to Atlanta), but has a 27% higher crime rate than Carrollton
Example 4: Philadelphia
Like Chicago, the median cost assisted living in the Philadelphia metro area is pulled upward by relatively affluent townships like Rosemont.
- Median assisted living costs in city limits are nearly $2,000 cheaper per year than the national median
- On average, you could save $2,460 per year by staying in the city
- Chester is the only city on our Philly-metro list cheaper than Philly itself
- You can save on average $1,327 per year in Chester compared to Philly, and the crime rate is comparable according to NeighborhoodScout
We showed you how to use the Senior Living Cost Index in conjunction with other websites to find more affordable assisted living in a city near you.
You can learn more about other benefits you can use for assisted living costs, or read through A Place for Mom’s resources to help you understand your financial options.
How else have you made your assisted living budget go farther? We’d like to hear your stories and suggestions in the comments below.
