Assisted Living Cost in Arkansas
Arkansas is one of the lowest-cost states in this series, and unlike some low-cost states it does have a Medicaid route into an assisted living facility. That route is the part worth getting right: it pays for care services, not room and board, and it is a different program from the home-care waiver families often confuse it with.
Sources: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, released March 2026, ranked state tables and Cost of Care calculator, accessed November 2026; Arkansas Department of Human Services long-term services information; Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs veterans home information.
Arkansas assisted living costs, against the national median
The table below is the CareScout 2025 survey for Arkansas, 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 | Arkansas median | National median |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living, per month | $4,562 ($54,744 per year) | $6,200 ($74,400 per year) |
| Home care, non-medical caregiver, per hour | $25 ($57,200 per year at 44 hours a week) | $35 ($80,080 per year at 44 hours a week) |
| Adult day health care, per day | $76 ($19,760 per year at 5 days a week) | $95 ($24,700 per year at 5 days a week) |
| Nursing home, semi-private room, per month | $7,452 ($89,425 per year) | $9,581 ($114,975 per year) |
| Nursing home, private room, per month | $8,060 ($96,725 per year) | $10,798 ($129,575 per year) |
The assisted living cost Arkansas median runs $1,638 a month below the national median, which is $19,656 over a full year (74,400 minus 54,744). Home care at $25 an hour sits $10 below the $35 national rate, a gap of $22,880 over a year at 44 hours a week (80,080 minus 57,200). Adult day care at $76 a day sits $19 below the $95 national rate. A semi-private nursing home room at $7,452 sits $2,129 below the $9,581 national figure (9,581 minus 7,452), and a private room at $8,060 sits $2,738 below the $10,798 national figure (10,798 minus 8,060). For the full national picture, read how much does assisted living cost and how much does a nursing home cost.
Assisted living cost Arkansas by metro
Metro medians come from the same CareScout survey, through its Cost of Care calculator, which reports the closest survey region for each city. All figures are 2025 monthly medians for a private one-bedroom apartment. The spread runs from $4,524 to $5,500, a gap of $976 a month between the lowest and highest Arkansas metro in this table.
| Metro area | Assisted living median per month, 2025 | Against the Arkansas median |
|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville | $5,500 | $938 above |
| Little Rock | $5,175 | $613 above |
| Jonesboro | $5,150 | $588 above |
| Fort Smith | $4,524 | $38 below |
Three of the four metros sit above the state median, which tells you the state figure is pulled down by smaller regions, not by these cities. Fayetteville runs $938 above the state median, and even Jonesboro runs $588 above it. Do not budget a Fayetteville, Little Rock, or Jonesboro move from the $4,562 state figure: use the metro figure, then replace it with three written quotes in that metro, 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.
Arkansas licenses assisted living facilities through the Arkansas Department of Human Services, Office of Long Term Care, with each facility holding a license renewed annually, and the license type matters at the tour: a facility'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 Arkansas: Living Choices (Assisted Living)
Arkansas's Medicaid route into an assisted living facility is Living Choices (Assisted Living), run by the Arkansas Department of Human Services. It serves people 65 and older, or 21 and older who are blind or have a physical disability, who meet income, resource, and other criteria. Do not confuse it with ARChoices in Homecare, which is the home-based waiver, not the assisted living facility program. Under Living Choices, residents are eligible for the full range of Medicaid benefits in a Level II assisted living facility, but room and board costs are not covered by the waiver, so the resident pays room and board from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds. This page states no current Arkansas Medicaid assisted living rate, because none was verified on an official page in this run. 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 Arkansas
For a veteran parent, two Arkansas 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 homes. The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs operates two state veterans homes, the Arkansas State Veterans Home at Fayetteville and the Arkansas State Veterans Home at North Little Rock, the latter the replacement facility for the former Little Rock home. These are state veterans homes, not private assisted living communities, so treat them as a separate application track, not as a price comparison. For VA health care, use VA.gov to find the facility nearest your parent.
Arkansas against the national median, in one row
Arkansas assisted living at $4,562 a month sits $1,638 below the $6,200 national median, home care at $25 an hour sits $10 below the $35 national rate, adult day care at $76 a day sits $19 below the $95 national rate, and a nursing home semi-private room at $7,452 a month sits $2,129 below the $9,581 national figure. Arkansas is a below-average state on every row, and the assisted living gap is the story: at $4,562 a month, assisted living costs $2,890 a month less than the $7,452 semi-private nursing home median in the same state, so a parent whose needs are close to the nursing facility line should still price both settings in the same metro, because the Medicaid routes treat them differently.
Frequently asked questions
Is Living Choices the same program as ARChoices?
No. Living Choices (Assisted Living) is the Medicaid program for care in an assisted living facility. ARChoices in Homecare is the home-based waiver for care at home as an alternative to institutionalization. Apply to the program that matches where your parent will actually live, and confirm with the Department of Human Services if you are unsure which door fits.
Does Arkansas Medicaid pay for assisted living room and board?
No. Under Living Choices, room and board costs are not covered by the waiver. Medicaid covers the care benefit, while the resident pays room and board from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds.
Why are three Arkansas metros above the state median?
Because the state median blends every surveyed region in Arkansas, including smaller regions with lower rates, while the metro table covers only Fayetteville, Little Rock, Jonesboro, and Fort Smith. The metros are the larger markets, so three of them sit above the statewide middle figure. Budget from the metro where your parent will live, not from the state median.
Does the $4,562 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 metro 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 Living Choices and VA eligibility before you sign. Start with assisted living checklist and assisted living costs.