Assisted Living Cost in Alaska
Alaska is the second most expensive state in this series for assisted living, and its nursing home figures are in a different league again. The practical question for a family here is not whether Alaska costs more, it does, but which payment route fits: private funds, VA benefits where eligible, or the state Medicaid waiver for care services inside a licensed assisted living home.
Sources: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, released March 2026, ranked state tables and Cost of Care calculator, accessed November 2026; Alaska Department of Health Home and Community-Based Services waiver information; Alaska Department of Family and Community Services veterans home information.
Alaska assisted living costs, against the national median
The table below is the CareScout 2025 survey for Alaska, with the national median beside it. The survey collected more than 25,000 provider rates between July and November 2025 and reports medians, the middle price, not averages pulled up by luxury buildings. Assisted living figures are for a private one-bedroom apartment for 12 months of care.
| Care type | Alaska median | National median |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living, per month | $9,882 ($118,578 per year) | $6,200 ($74,400 per year) |
| Home care, non-medical caregiver, per hour | $38 ($86,944 per year at 44 hours a week) | $35 ($80,080 per year at 44 hours a week) |
| Adult day health care, per day | $175 ($45,500 per year at 5 days a week) | $95 ($24,700 per year at 5 days a week) |
| Nursing home, semi-private room, per month | $27,831 ($333,975 per year) | $9,581 ($114,975 per year) |
| Nursing home, private room, per month | Not published in the CareScout ranked table | $10,798 ($129,575 per year) |
The assisted living cost Alaska median runs $3,682 a month above the national median, which is $44,184 over a full year (118,578 minus 74,400). Home care at $38 an hour sits $3 above the $35 national rate, a gap of $6,864 over a year at 44 hours a week (86,944 minus 80,080). Adult day care at $175 a day sits $80 above the $95 national rate. The nursing home gap is far larger: a semi-private room at $27,831 sits $18,250 above the $9,581 national figure (27,831 minus 9,581). CareScout publishes no private-room nursing home median for Alaska in this table, so this page states none rather than estimating one. For the full national picture, read how much does assisted living cost and how much does a nursing home cost.
Assisted living cost Alaska by place
Place medians come from the same CareScout survey, through its Cost of Care calculator, which reports the closest survey region for each place. All figures are 2025 monthly medians for a private one-bedroom apartment. The spread runs from $8,191 to $9,882, a gap of $1,691 a month between the lowest and highest Alaska place in this table.
| Place | Assisted living median per month, 2025 | Against the Alaska median |
|---|---|---|
| Anchorage | $9,882 | Equal to the state median |
| Juneau | $9,882 | Equal to the state median |
| Fairbanks | $8,191 | $1,691 below |
Read the Anchorage and Juneau rows with care. For Anchorage, the calculator returns the Alaska state figure, not a separate Anchorage metro figure, and for Juneau it returns the non-metropolitan Alaska region figure, which matches the state median in this survey. Fairbanks is the only place in this table with a distinct metro figure, at $8,191 in the Fairbanks metropolitan area. Do not budget an Anchorage or Juneau move from a metro figure the survey does not publish: use the $9,882 state figure as the planning starting point, then replace it with three written quotes in that place, with apartment size and care level stated. For how to use competing quotes, read can you negotiate assisted living costs.
What the monthly bill includes, and what it leaves out
The median buys the building and the base service: a private apartment, meals, housekeeping, supervision, and activities, with staff on site around the clock. It does not buy every charge a resident actually pays. Care is priced in levels, and the level rises as help needs grow, so the second year costs more than the first even before any annual rate increase. Medication handling, a higher care level, and a second occupant are commonly billed on top of the base rate, and many buildings charge a one-time community fee at move-in.
Alaska licenses assisted living homes through the Alaska Department of Health, Division of Health Care Services, residential licensing unit, and the license type matters at the tour: a home's license states the level of care it may provide, and a parent whose needs pass that level will need a different setting or added services. Ask at the tour, in writing, which care level the license covers, which services the base rate covers and which are billed as extras, and what each extra costs. The tour checklist on assisted living checklist groups those questions for you.
Medicaid in Alaska: the ALI Waiver
Alaska's Medicaid route for care in an assisted living home is the Alaskans Living Independently (ALI) Waiver, one of the state's Home and Community-Based Services waivers, run by the Alaska Department of Health. It serves adults 21 and older who need nursing facility level care, and it includes residential supported living services in a 24-hour residential setting, where the provider must hold a State of Alaska assisted living home license. Medicaid pays the waiver service component only: the waiver states plainly that payment is not made for the cost of room and board, so the resident pays room and board from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds. For the national Medicaid rules, read does medicaid pay for assisted living, and for the full payment map, read how to pay for assisted living. Medicare does not pay for assisted living room charges or custodial care; see does medicare pay for assisted living for the exact boundary.
VA resources in Alaska
For a veteran parent, two Alaska routes sit beside the private market. The first is VA Aid and Attendance, a monthly cash benefit added to a VA pension for a veteran or surviving spouse who needs help with daily living; the amounts and rules are on VA Aid and Attendance requirements and veterans affairs assisted living. The second is the state's own veterans home. The Alaska Veterans and Pioneers Home in Palmer is the only certified state veterans home in Alaska, where VA per diem may be paid, with 79 beds, 75 percent designated for veterans. It is a state veterans home, not a private assisted living community, so treat it as a separate application track, not as a price comparison. For VA health care, use VA.gov to find the facility nearest your parent.
Alaska against the national median, in one row
Alaska assisted living at $9,882 a month sits $3,682 above the $6,200 national median, home care at $38 an hour sits $3 above the $35 national rate, adult day care at $175 a day sits $80 above the $95 national rate, and a nursing home semi-private room at $27,831 a month sits $18,250 above the $9,581 national figure. Alaska is an above-average state on every published row, and the nursing home gap is the story: at $27,831 a month, a semi-private nursing home room costs $17,949 a month more than the $9,882 assisted living median in the same state, so a parent whose needs are close to the nursing facility line should still price both settings, because the waiver and VA routes treat them differently.
Frequently asked questions
Does Alaska Medicaid pay for assisted living room and board?
No. The ALI Waiver pays the service component for residential supported living in a licensed assisted living home, and it states that payment is not made for room and board. The resident covers room and board separately, from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds.
Why does Alaska have no private-room nursing home median in this table?
Because CareScout did not publish one for Alaska in its 2025 ranked table: the private-room row is listed as not available, due to insufficient data for that care type in the state. This page leaves the cell blank rather than estimating a figure from the semi-private rate or from another source.
Is the Anchorage figure a metro median?
No, not in this survey. The CareScout calculator returns the Alaska state figure for Anchorage, with no separate Anchorage metro figure shown. Budget an Anchorage move from the $9,882 state figure until you hold written quotes from Anchorage communities themselves.
Does the $9,882 median cover two people sharing one apartment?
No. The CareScout median is for a private one-bedroom apartment occupied by one person. A second occupant adds a second-person fee set by each community, on top of the median, not inside it. Couples should budget the median plus the community's written second-person fee, plus a care level for each spouse who needs help, since care is priced per person. See average cost of assisted living for a couple for how couples totals are built.
Your next step is to take the place median for the city where your parent will actually live, get three written quotes that state apartment size, care level, and every extra fee, and check ALI Waiver and VA eligibility before you sign. Start with assisted living checklist and assisted living costs.