$14,440 a month is the California Department of Health Care Services' 2026 statewide average private-pay rate for nursing facility care. It's an average: each facility sets its own price.
Who pays
- Private pay: savings, income, or long-term care insurance.
- Medi-Cal: its long-term care coverage can pay for nursing-home care for people who qualify. For people 65+, the asset limit is $130,000 for one person plus $65,000 for each additional person through June 30, 2027, then $21,000 for one person and $31,000 for two. Medi-Cal looks at assets given away in the 30 months before someone enters a facility. The asset limit, explained.
Check a facility first
Licensing and inspections: Cal Health Find (nursing homes) and the State's care facility search (assisted living). Problems inside a facility: the County's free Long-Term Care Ombudsman, 800-640-4661, or the State's 24/7 CRISISline, 1-800-231-4024.
Lower rungs first
Not every parent needs that rung. Meals, caregiver respite, IHSS, adult day health care and PACE can keep a parent at home, several at no cost with Medi-Cal. Every rung, from part-time help to a nursing home.
Do it with PJ
The calls, the forms, the logins and the errands in between: PJ does the legwork with your family in Solana Beach, Encinitas, Cardiff and Del Mar. He doesn't give medical, legal or benefits advice; the programs decide. Plans start as low as $25.
More: the care ladder · every senior waitlist · senior benefits checkup.
Sources: DHCS, 2026 average private pay rate · DHCS, Medi-Cal asset limit · CDPH, Cal Health Find · CDA, Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Checked October 6, 2026.
Need a human?
This page is built every morning from public data by SideGuy, run by PJ, a local in Solana Beach. If something looks off, or you want a hand with your plans, text PJ at 858-461-8054. A real person answers.
Local help, free to read: make your fix plan · senior benefits checkup · lower your SDG&E bill · Medicare Extra Help · the next 90 days. Plans start as low as $25.
Questions people ask
How much does a nursing home cost per month in California?
The State's 2026 statewide average private-pay rate for nursing facility care is $14,440 a month (DHCS).
Does Medi-Cal pay for nursing homes in California?
Medi-Cal's long-term care coverage can pay for people who qualify. For 65+, the asset limit is $130,000 for one person through June 30, 2027, then $21,000.
Know someone who needs this?
Something changed here? Text PJ and we'll update this page.
More free local tools: the North County toolkit.