What does senior care cost in the Salt Lake area?
Utah's 2025 CareScout medians are about $5,233 a month for assisted living, $8,669 for a semi-private nursing home room, $7,484 for 44 hours a week of home care and $3,033 for five days a week of adult day health; no Salt Lake City or memory care median is published.
Last verified: October 2026| Care type (Utah, 2025) | Annual median | About per month | Change | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assisted living community (private one-bedroom) | $62,790 | $5,233 | +12% since 2024 | $74,400 |
| Nursing home, semi-private room | $104,025 | $8,669 | +4% since 2024 | $114,975 |
| Nursing home, private room | $127,750 | $10,646 | 0% since 2024 | $129,575 |
| Home care, non-medical caregiver (44 hrs/week) | $89,804 | $7,484 | +3% since 2024 | $80,080 |
| Adult day health care (5 days/week) | $36,400 | $3,033 | not reported | $24,700 |
Source: CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, rates collected from providers July to November 2025, released March 2, 2026.
Monthly figures are CareScout's annual Utah medians divided by 12; the hourly home-care, daily adult-day and daily nursing-home figures divide the annual median by CareScout's own basis (44 hours x 52 weeks; 5 days x 52 weeks; 365 days).
Who pays for senior care in Utah?
Most Salt Lake families pay privately at first; Medicare covers only short skilled stays, home health and hospice; Utah Medicaid pays for long-term nursing facility care and, through the New Choices and Aging waivers, services in assisted living or at home; VA Aid and Attendance helps eligible veterans and survivors.
Neither Medicare nor Utah Medicaid pays assisted living rent. The New Choices Waiver pays for services there, while the resident's own income covers room and board. Plan for that split before a parent moves in.
Where can Salt Lake families get free help with benefits?
Salt Lake County Aging & Adult Services (385-468-3200) and Tooele County Aging Services (435-277-2420) explain local programs, take Aging Waiver intake and connect families to free SHIP Medicare counseling.
New Choices Waiver questions go to the program office at 801-538-6155, option 6.
Costs & Paying guides
What senior care costs in Utah, and what that means in Salt Lake
CareScout's 2025 Utah medians: assisted living $62,790 a year, nursing home semi-private $104,025, home care $89,804. No Salt Lake or memory care median is published.
Read →The New Choices Waiver: how Utah Medicaid can help in assisted living
Utah's New Choices Waiver (NCW) is a Medicaid 1915(c) waiver that pays for services in assisted living or at home for people needing nursing facility level of care. Eligibility paths, services and how to apply.
Read →The Aging Waiver: Medicaid help to stay at home in Utah
Utah's Medicaid Waiver for Individuals Age 65 or Older (Aging Waiver) funds in-home services for people needing nursing facility level of care. Eligibility, services, waiting list and Salt Lake County intake.
Read →How Utah Medicaid pays for long-term care
Utah Medicaid long-term care: $2,000 resource limit (R414-305-3), nursing facility coverage, spousal protections, Medicaid expansion since 2020, and how Salt Lake families apply.
Read →VA Aid and Attendance for Salt Lake area veterans and survivors
2026 VA Aid and Attendance maximum annual pension rates for veterans and surviving spouses, how unreimbursed care costs count, and where Salt Lake veterans get help applying.
Read →What Medicare does and doesn't pay for in senior care
Medicare covers short skilled nursing stays after a qualifying hospital admission, home health and hospice, but not assisted living or long-term custodial care. What Salt Lake families should plan for.
Read →Home care or assisted living? Running the numbers in Utah
At Utah's 2025 medians ($39.25 an hour for home care, $5,233 a month for assisted living), home care costs more past about 30 hours a week. A worked comparison for Salt Lake families.
Read →At a glance
| This section gives you | This section does not give you | |
|---|---|---|
| Prices | Utah's published 2025 medians | A Salt Lake or memory care figure that does not exist |
| Programs | How New Choices, the Aging Waiver, Medicaid and VA pension work | An eligibility decision |
| Limits | Resource limits from Utah's Medicaid rule | Legal or tax advice |
| Planning | Questions to ask and when to start | A substitute for an elder law attorney |
