What Does Memory Care Cost in California?

We looked for a public, citable figure and did not find one we could stand behind. The CareScout Cost of Care Survey, a widely used reference formerly known as the Genworth Cost of Care Survey, publishes state medians for home care, adult day health care, assisted living communities and nursing homes. Its 2025 state tables have no memory care category.

Many websites print an average for memory care in California. Where a site does not say where its number comes from or what year it describes, be cautious. We have left such figures out. Treat any single figure, including a median, as a starting point: CareScout itself says the cost for any particular provider may differ significantly from the median.

What can be said with a source is this. Memory care in California is provided in residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs), the license that also covers assisted living and board and care homes. California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) says the cost of an RCFE depends on the type of accommodation, the range of services needed and the geographic area, and that specialized services like dementia care are more costly.

These are CareScout's California medians from its 2025 survey, carried out from July through November 2025. None is a memory care price. They show what the settings on either side of memory care cost, and they vary by home, area and care level:

A dementia care rate in a given home will usually sit above that home's own assisted living rate. How far above is the question to put to each home.

The state's dementia care rules explain much of it. A home that cares for people with dementia has to supply more of the expensive things: staff time, trained staff, and a building set up for safety. The main drivers are:

• Staffing. Title 22 says door locks and delayed egress devices may not substitute for trained staff in sufficient numbers to meet residents' care and supervision needs, including staff to escort a resident who wants to go outside.
• Nights. A home with fewer than 16 residents must have at least one staff person awake and on duty at night if any resident with dementia is found to need awake night supervision.
• Training. Health and Safety Code section 1569.626 requires 12 hours of dementia care training for direct care staff, six before working alone with residents and six in the first four weeks, and eight hours of in-service dementia training every year.
• The building. Exit alerts for residents at risk of leaving unsupervised, fire clearance approval for delayed egress or locked doors, and indoor and outdoor space where residents can wander freely and safely.
• The program. A home that advertises dementia care must describe and run an activity program for residents with dementia, such as mental stimulation, physical activity and reminiscence.
• The person's own needs. More help with bathing, dressing, eating and continence usually means a higher care level, in memory care as in any RCFE.

Room type matters most after care level. A shared room generally costs less than a private one, and a private apartment in a large community generally costs more again. CANHR describes smaller homes as mostly shared rooms and larger facilities as usually private apartments, often with different fee options depending on the care needed.

Location matters too, and so does how the home charges. Some quote one all-inclusive dementia rate. Others quote a base rate plus a care level that is set by assessment and reviewed later. Neither is better in itself, but they are hard to compare unless you ask each home for the total at your relative's current needs. Our guides to board and care costs and assisted living costs in California explain how monthly rates are built in each kind of home.

The National Institute on Aging suggests asking a home whether costs for its Alzheimer's unit differ from the rest of the facility, what is included in the fee, and which services cost extra. Put that in writing. A useful quote shows:

1. 1

   The monthly rate for the room

   Shared or private, and whether the dementia program is included or added.

2. 2

   The care level and how it was set

   Which assessment was used, who did it, and when it will be repeated.

3. 3

   One-time fees

   CANHR notes that some homes charge little or nothing before admission and others charge thousands of dollars. Ask for a written description of what any fee covers.

4. 4

   Extras

   Incontinence supplies, medication management, escorts to appointments, special diets, and anything else billed separately.

5. 5

   What makes the rate rise

   A change in care level, an annual increase, or both. Ask how often rates have gone up in recent years.

Which of these can be discussed is covered in which assisted living fees are negotiable, and the notice a home must give before raising rates is in assisted living rate increases.

Many families pay privately, from income, savings, home equity or a long-term care insurance policy, and some may qualify for veterans' benefits or a Medi-Cal program. Each has its own rules and limits. Paying for memory care in California goes through the ways of paying that apply to dementia care and links to the detailed guide for each one.

Hamssa Benrekia is a senior living placement specialist in Torrance who works with families in the South Bay and Harbor area of Los Angeles County. She starts with your relative's care needs and monthly budget, then shortlists licensed homes that may fit both and helps you compare written quotes. Hamssa says shared rooms in Torrance start at about $5,000 a month in 2026. Dementia care, private rooms and higher care levels add to that. See memory care placement, contact Hamssa, or return to the California Assisted Living Placement Guide.