Assisted Living Cost in Colorado
Colorado is a modestly above-average state for assisted living, with home care running well above the national rate. The metro spread is wide: Boulder costs more than $3,000 a month above Fort Collins in the same survey.
Sources: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, released March 2026, ranked state tables and Cost of Care calculator, accessed November 2026; Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing EBD Waiver information; Colorado Department of Human Services Veterans Community Living Centers information.
Colorado assisted living costs, against the national median
The table below is the CareScout 2025 survey for Colorado, 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 | Colorado median | National median |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living, per month | $6,525 ($78,303 per year) | $6,200 ($74,400 per year) |
| Home care, non-medical caregiver, per hour | About $42 ($94,952 per year at 44 hours a week) | $35 ($80,080 per year at 44 hours a week) |
| Adult day health care, per day | $105 ($27,300 per year at 5 days a week) | $95 ($24,700 per year at 5 days a week) |
| Nursing home, semi-private room, per month | $10,159 ($121,910 per year) | $9,581 ($114,975 per year) |
| Nursing home, private room, per month | $12,182 ($146,182 per year) | $10,798 ($129,575 per year) |
The assisted living cost Colorado median runs $325 a month above the national median, which is $3,903 over a full year (78,303 minus 74,400). Home care at about $42 an hour sits above the $35 national rate, a gap of $14,872 over a year at 44 hours a week (94,952 minus 80,080). Adult day care at $105 a day sits $10 above the $95 national rate. The nursing home gap is smaller than in the coastal states: a semi-private room at $10,159 sits $578 above the $9,581 national figure (10,159 minus 9,581), and a private room at $12,182 sits $1,384 above the $10,798 national figure (12,182 minus 10,798). For the full national picture, read how much does assisted living cost and how much does a nursing home cost.
Assisted living cost Colorado 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 $5,698 to $9,050, a gap of $3,352 a month between the lowest and highest Colorado metro in this table.
| Metro area | Assisted living median per month, 2025 | Against the Colorado median |
|---|---|---|
| Boulder | $9,050 | $2,525 above |
| Denver | $7,508 | $983 above |
| Colorado Springs | $6,546 | $21 above |
| Fort Collins | $5,698 | $827 below |
Colorado Springs sits almost exactly on the state median, at $21 above it, while Boulder runs $2,525 above it and Fort Collins runs $827 below it. Do not budget a Boulder move from the $6,525 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.
Colorado licenses assisted living residences through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 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 Colorado: the Elderly, Blind and Disabled Waiver
Colorado Medicaid for older adults runs the Elderly, Blind and Disabled (EBD) Waiver, under Health First Colorado, run by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. The EBD Waiver provides an alternative to nursing facility care for elderly, blind, or physically disabled people, and its service called Alternative Care Facility is an assisted living residence providing alternative care services and protective oversight. To qualify, a person must meet the nursing facility level of care.
The hard limit is the same as in every state on this site: room and board is not a benefit of Alternative Care Facility services. Your parent still pays the building for rent and meals, in an amount not over the department-established rate, and this page states no dollar rate, because none was verified. This page also states no waitlist claim for the EBD Waiver, because sources conflict on whether a waitlist is active. Apply early and do not sign a private-pay agreement that assumes the waiver will pay. 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 Colorado
For a veteran parent, two Colorado 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 living centers. The Colorado Department of Human Services lists five Veterans Community Living Centers, in Fitzsimons (Aurora), Florence (Bruce McCandless), Monte Vista (Homelake), Rifle, and Walsenburg (Spanish Peaks), open to honorably discharged veterans, their spouses and widows, and Gold Star parents. Homelake also offers domiciliary cottages described as similar to assisted living. These are state veterans centers, 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.
Colorado against the national median, in one row
Colorado assisted living at $6,525 a month sits $325 above the $6,200 national median, home care at about $42 an hour sits above the $35 national rate, adult day care at $105 a day sits $10 above the $95 national rate, and a nursing home semi-private room at $10,159 a month sits $578 above the $9,581 national figure. Colorado is an above-average state on every row, but the assisted living gap is modest next to the home care gap: at $94,952 a year, 44 hours a week of home care costs $16,649 a year more than the $78,303 assisted living median, so compare the weekly home care schedule, not just the hourly rate, before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
Does the EBD Waiver pay for room and board in assisted living?
No. Room and board is not a benefit of Alternative Care Facility services under the EBD Waiver. Your parent pays the building for rent and meals separately, in an amount not over the department-established rate, so the waiver's help and the building's quote are two different numbers.
What is an Alternative Care Facility in Colorado?
It is the EBD Waiver's assisted living residence setting: a licensed assisted living residence that provides alternative care services and protective oversight, as an alternative to nursing facility care. Not every assisted living residence in Colorado is an Alternative Care Facility provider, so ask the facility in writing whether it provides EBD Waiver services before you count on the program.
Does the $6,525 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.
Why is Boulder so far above Fort Collins?
Because the metro medians reflect local provider rates, not a statewide price. Boulder at $9,050 and Fort Collins at $5,698 are both 2025 CareScout calculator medians for a private one-bedroom apartment, and the $3,352 gap between them is a local market gap. Budget from the metro where your parent will live, not from the state median.
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 EBD Waiver eligibility before you sign. Start with assisted living checklist and assisted living costs.