The cost of senior care in Texas runs below the national line in assisted living, nursing homes, and non-medical home care. Assisted living in Texas costs a median of about $5,666 a month, and a semi-private nursing-home room about $5,627 a month, according to the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey (released March 2026). Which setting a family chooses, and how heavy the care needs grow, can still swing the yearly bill by tens of thousands of dollars.

This guide lays out what each senior-care setting in Texas costs side by side, why ranking sites disagree on the number, what pushes the price up or down, and how families actually pay, from private funds to Medicaid for those who qualify.

In This Guide

What Senior Care Costs in Texas by Setting

The figures below come from the CareScout (formerly Genworth) 2025 Cost of Care Survey, released in March 2026. They are statewide medians, not government rates and not maximums, so the cost at any one provider can land higher or lower depending on metro area, room type, and how much care a person needs.

Read across the settings and Texas's pattern is consistent: care here costs less than the national median in assisted living, nursing homes, and non-medical home care. A semi-private nursing-home room costs a median of about $185 a day in Texas, well under the national figure of about $315 a day. Assisted living costs about $5,666 a month against a national median of about $6,200. That doesn't make any of it cheap, but it does mean a Texas family's dollar stretches further than the national headlines suggest.

Care setting Texas National
Assisted living (month) about $5,666 about $6,200
Assisted living (year) about $67,992 about $74,400
Nursing home, semi-private room (day) about $185 about $315
Nursing home, semi-private room (year) about $67,525 about $114,975
Nursing home, private room (day) about $250 about $355
Non-medical home care (hour) about $30 about $35
Memory care not surveyed separately not surveyed separately

The home-care figure is an hourly rate, so the monthly bill depends entirely on the schedule. CareScout reports non-medical home care in Texas at a median of about $68,640 a year, which ties Texas for 43rd highest among the states. On the survey's standard basis of 44 hours a week for 52 weeks, that works out to roughly $30 an hour, or about $5,720 a month for that full schedule. On a lighter schedule, the monthly bill scales down with the hours. Skilled nursing at home is priced separately: CareScout's private-duty-nurse rate in Texas is a median of $90 an hour, the same as the national median.

One detail matters if you are comparing this year's home-care number to last year's: beginning with the 2025 survey, CareScout reports a single "non-medical caregiver" category instead of the separate "homemaker" and "home health aide" figures it published before. A family that saw two home-care lines a year ago is now looking at one, so the figures are not directly comparable.

CareScout does not measure memory care as its own category, so its survey gives no statewide memory-care median for Texas. The closest published benchmark is assisted living, because Texas assisted living facilities can offer memory care; one that promotes memory care must tell each resident in writing whether it holds the state's Alzheimer's license classification. Use the assisted-living median of about $5,666 a month as a reference point, not as a memory-care rate, and get the exact figure from the specific community. For the payment side, see How to Pay for Memory Care.

Why Sites Disagree on the Cost

If you have searched "cost of senior care in Texas," you have probably seen three different numbers and no explanation. That is because there is no single official price: these are industry-survey medians, not government figures, and different sites draw on different data. CareScout (formerly Genworth) publishes the Cost of Care Survey, and its 2025 figures are the ones used throughout this guide. Other publishers may report their own data, which is why one site's "national median assisted living" can differ from CareScout's national figure of about $6,200 a month, even when both are labeled current.

Two more things move the number. First, the survey year: CareScout's 2025 survey was fielded from July to November 2025 and published in March 2026, so a figure labeled "2026" may rest on data collected a year earlier. Always check what survey and what year a number comes from. Second, the methodology change noted above, where CareScout folded homemaker and home health aide into one "non-medical caregiver" line in 2025. The takeaway is to compare like with like: use one source, note its year, and treat any single dollar figure as a median, not a guaranteed price.

What Drives the Cost of Senior Care in Texas

The level of care a person needs shapes the bill, though in Texas not always in the direction families expect. A nursing home provides 24-hour nursing care, yet the semi-private median of about $185 a day (roughly $5,627 a month) sits just under the assisted-living median, while a private room at about $250 a day (roughly $7,604 a month) is the highest of the survey medians in this guide. Assisted living is built for people who need help with daily tasks but not constant skilled nursing, and it costs a median of about $5,666 a month. Memory care has no separate statewide median; Texas assisted living facilities can offer it, so the assisted-living median is a reference point for pricing it, and the community itself is where to get its actual rate.

Where in Texas a family looks also matters. CareScout collects its rates at the metropolitan-area level, and a single statewide median hides real variation between Texas metros, so the cost at a given community can sit above or below the statewide figure. A family weighing a move across metro lines is also weighing a real difference in the monthly bill.

Within any single setting, the advertised rate may not be the whole bill. The survey medians are not a quote for any particular resident, so ask each community whether its price rises with assessed care needs and for its level-of-care schedule before you sign. When you compare quotes, ask what the base rate includes and what would trigger an added charge.

How Families Pay for Senior Care

Almost no one pays for years of senior care out of a single source. Most families start with private funds and shift to other payers as the bills mount. Here is how the main options work in Texas.

Private pay is savings, income, the proceeds of a home sale, and long-term care insurance if a person bought it. It is the most flexible option, since it covers any setting, but it is also the one that runs out, and at about $67,525 a year for a semi-private nursing-home room it can run out faster than families expect. Long-term care insurance, where it exists, can offset a share of the cost, though policies vary widely in what they pay and for how long.

Texas Medicaid pays for long-term care, including nursing-facility care and home- and community-based services, for people who meet both a level-of-care test and the financial rules., Texas applies a long-term-care Medicaid income limit of $2,982 a month for a single applicant in 2026, which is 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate. An applicant whose income sits above that cap is not automatically disqualified: a Qualified Income Trust, also called a Miller Trust, lets income deposited into the trust be set aside when Texas tests eligibility, so the person can still qualify., Income has to go into the trust in the same month it arrives, and the trust does not lower what the person pays toward their own care, which is still figured on total income. The countable-asset limit is $2,000 for a single applicant. When one spouse needs care, federal spousal-impoverishment rules let the at-home spouse keep what Texas calls the Spousal Protected Resource Amount, its name for the community spouse resource allowance, so the couple is not held to the single-person asset figure. It is the greater of half the couple's combined countable resources or $32,532, and it cannot exceed $162,660, so $162,660 is a ceiling rather than an amount every couple keeps.

A nursing-facility resident on Texas Medicaid applies the income left after allowable deductions toward the cost of care, keeping a $75-a-month personal needs allowance. That $75 is the nursing-facility figure: Texas sets the allowance at $85 for a resident in assisted living or foster care and at $2,901 for someone on an HCBS waiver. STAR+PLUS is the state's Medicaid managed-care program for adults 65 and older and adults with disabilities, and a member who qualifies for nursing-facility level of care can get home- and community-based services through STAR+PLUS HCBS. That home- and community-based side runs an interest list (waitlist), because, unlike regular Medicaid, a waiver can cap how many people it serves. Someone already on Medicaid with a managed-care plan, or living in a nursing facility, may be able to bypass the list., Texas also enforces a 60-month look-back on assets transferred for less than fair value, counted back from the later of the date of institutionalization or the date of the Medicaid application, which can trigger a penalty period.

One gap trips up many families: Medicaid does not pay the room-and-board cost of assisted living. Texas Medicaid can cover the care services in a contracted assisted-living facility through the STAR+PLUS HCBS program, but the resident pays the room-and-board charge, which is set at the SSI federal benefit rate minus an $85 personal needs allowance. It is a set rate that changes only when the federal benefit rate changes, generally each January 1, and it cannot be waived, although a facility may choose to accept a member for a lower amount. Budget for one more line as well: a copayment is separate from room and board, not required of SSI recipients but required from members whose financial eligibility was determined under the special institutional criteria. A family choosing assisted living should plan to cover room and board privately, even where a waiver helps pay for the care services themselves.

A note on Medicare, because the assumption is common: Original Medicare does not pay for long-term custodial care, the hands-on help with daily living that most families are budgeting for, when that is the only care needed (hospice is the exception). What it covers instead is skilled care, such as a limited skilled-nursing-facility stay after a hospital stay and part-time skilled nursing or therapy at home. For long-term care, Medicare.gov points families to Medicaid, if they meet their state's eligibility rules, or private long-term care insurance.

How to Plan and Budget for Senior Care

Start by matching the setting to the actual need, not the other way around. A candid assessment of how much help a person truly needs is worth more than a default assumption. Many people who need help with daily tasks but not skilled nursing are well served by assisted living at about $5,666 a month or a few hours a day of in-home care, while someone needing continuous supervision or skilled nursing may find a nursing home is the only setting that fits.

Then build a realistic timeline. Estimate the monthly cost of the right setting, list the resources available to pay for it, and work out how long private funds will last before Medicaid would come into play. If Medicaid is likely to be part of the plan, the look-back and estate-recovery rules reward starting early and getting advice, because assets given away for less than fair value within the 60-month look-back can trigger a penalty period., Two Brevy guides go deeper here: Medicaid Planning Strategies walks through how to position assets and income within the rules, and Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance, Explained covers the small monthly amount a resident keeps.

Finally, budget for the add-ons, not just the base rate. Care needs tend to rise over time, so the figure you start with is rarely the figure you finish with. A plan that assumes some increase is more likely to hold up than one built on today's lowest quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does senior care cost in Texas?

It depends heavily on the setting. In the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, assisted living in Texas costs a median of about $5,666 a month, a semi-private nursing-home room about $185 a day (roughly $5,627 a month), a private room about $250 a day (roughly $7,604 a month), and non-medical home care a median of about $68,640 a year (roughly $30 an hour). These are statewide medians, not maximums, so an individual provider can cost more or less.

Is senior care cheaper in Texas than the national average?

In assisted living, nursing homes, and non-medical home care, yes. A semi-private nursing-home room in Texas costs a median of about $185 a day, well below the national figure of about $315 a day, and assisted living costs about $5,666 a month against a national median of about $6,200. Non-medical home care runs a median of about $30 an hour, below the national median of about $35.

How much does memory care cost in Texas?

There is no verified statewide median, because the CareScout survey does not measure memory care as a separate category. Texas assisted living facilities can offer memory care, so the closest benchmark is the assisted-living median of about $5,666 a month. Treat that as a reference point, not a memory-care rate, and confirm the actual rate with the specific community.

Why do different websites show different senior-care costs for Texas?

Because there is no single official price. CareScout (formerly Genworth) publishes the Cost of Care Survey used in this guide, and its figures are industry-survey medians, not government figures; other publishers may report their own data, so the same "median assisted living" can read differently across sites. Always check which survey a figure comes from and what year it covers, and treat any single number as a median, not a guaranteed price.

Does Medicaid cover assisted living in Texas?

Not the room-and-board cost. Texas Medicaid can cover the care services in a contracted assisted-living facility through the STAR+PLUS HCBS program, but the resident pays the room-and-board charge, set at the SSI federal benefit rate minus an $85 personal needs allowance. That charge cannot be waived, though a facility may choose to accept a member for a lower amount, and it changes only when the federal benefit rate does, generally each January 1. A copayment is separate from it and is required from members whose financial eligibility was determined under the special institutional criteria, but not from SSI recipients. A family choosing assisted living should plan to pay room and board privately.

How do families pay for senior care in Texas?

Most start with private pay, savings, income, home-sale proceeds, and long-term care insurance if they have it, then turn to Texas Medicaid once a person meets the level-of-care and financial rules. Because Texas has a 60-month look-back on transferred assets, counted from the later of institutionalization or application, and can recover from the estates of people who received long-term-care Medicaid at age 55 or older, planning early and getting professional advice usually pays off.,

Learn More

Care TypesCost of Senior Care by State: Assisted Living, Nursing Home, and Home CareThe 2026 national median cost of assisted living, memory care, nursing homes, and in-home care, why your state differs, and your state's own cost guide. Care TypesAssisted Living in TexasHow to choose assisted living in Texas: confirm the HHSC license, ask about inspections, learn what STAR+PLUS Medicaid covers, and compare 2025 care costs. Care TypesNursing Homes in TexasNursing homes in Texas in 2026: a semi-private room runs about $67,525/year, well below the national median. What it costs, how Medicaid pays, how to choose. Care TypesMemory Care in TexasCareScout has no Texas memory care median; its $5,666/month assisted-living median is the closest reference. What STAR+PLUS covers and how to choose a facility. Care TypesHome Care vs. Home Health in TexasHome care vs home health in Texas: what each covers, what home care costs, when Medicare and Medicaid pay, and how to find a licensed provider near you. Care TypesAssisted Living vs. Nursing Home in TexasAssisted living vs. a nursing home in Texas: about $5,666/month private-pay assisted living vs. roughly $5,627/month for a semi-private nursing home.
MedicaidMedicaid Planning StrategiesSee which assets you keep, how the 5-year look-back works, and the legal moves that qualify you for Medicaid long-term care without losing the house. MedicaidMedicaid Personal Needs Allowance, ExplainedHow the Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance works in 2026: the $30 federal floor, what the states set, and how patient liability is calculated.

Find personalized help building a realistic senior-care budget for Texas at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.