Assisted Living Cost in Connecticut
Connecticut is the fourth most expensive state in this series for assisted living, and its nursing home figures run higher still. Connecticut also works differently from most states on licensing, so the tour questions matter here: the state licenses the care agency inside the community, not the community building itself.
Sources: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, released March 2026, ranked state tables and Cost of Care calculator, accessed November 2026; Connecticut Department of Social Services Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders information; Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs campus information.
Connecticut assisted living costs, against the national median
The table below is the CareScout 2025 survey for Connecticut, 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 | Connecticut median | National median |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living, per month | $8,676 ($104,106 per year) | $6,200 ($74,400 per year) |
| Home care, non-medical caregiver, per hour | $36 ($82,368 per year at 44 hours a week) | $35 ($80,080 per year at 44 hours a week) |
| Adult day health care, per day | $109 ($28,340 per year at 5 days a week) | $95 ($24,700 per year at 5 days a week) |
| Nursing home, semi-private room, per month | $15,208 ($182,500 per year) | $9,581 ($114,975 per year) |
| Nursing home, private room, per month | $16,729 ($200,750 per year) | $10,798 ($129,575 per year) |
The assisted living cost Connecticut median runs $2,476 a month above the national median, which is $29,706 over a full year (104,106 minus 74,400). Home care at $36 an hour sits $1 above the $35 national rate, a gap of $2,288 over a year at 44 hours a week (82,368 minus 80,080). Adult day care at $109 a day sits $14 above the $95 national rate. A semi-private nursing home room at $15,208 sits $5,627 above the $9,581 national figure (15,208 minus 9,581), and a private room at $16,729 sits $5,931 above the $10,798 national figure (16,729 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 Connecticut 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 $9,140 to $10,197, a gap of $1,057 a month between the lowest and highest Connecticut metro in this table.
| Metro area | Assisted living median per month, 2025 | Against the Connecticut median |
|---|---|---|
| New Haven | $10,197 | $1,521 above |
| Bridgeport | $9,740 | $1,064 above |
| Stamford | $9,740 | $1,064 above |
| Hartford | $9,140 | $464 above |
Stamford maps to the Bridgeport metropolitan region in the calculator, so it carries the same $9,740 figure as Bridgeport; that is a shared region figure, not two separate surveys that happened to agree. Every metro in this table sits above the state median, which tells you smaller regions pull the state figure down. Do not budget a New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, or Hartford move from the $8,676 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.
Connecticut licensing works differently from most states, and the distinction matters at the tour. Connecticut does not license the physical setting of a managed residential community directly; the Department of Public Health licenses and regulates the assisted living services agencies that operate within those communities. Ask at the tour, in writing, which agency provides the care services, what its 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 Connecticut: CHCPE
Connecticut's Medicaid route for care in an assisted living setting is the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE), run by the Connecticut Department of Social Services, which lists assisted living services among its services. Eligibility stated by the department includes age 65 or older, Connecticut residence, risk of nursing home placement, and meeting the program financial eligibility criteria. Room and board is not covered: Medicaid waiver coverage through CHCPE is limited to hands-on services, because federal law bars states from paying room and board costs under a Medicaid waiver. This page states no Connecticut Medicaid assisted living rate, because none was verified on an official page in this run, and residential care home rates are a different setting and are not used here. 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 Connecticut
For a veteran parent, two Connecticut 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 veterans campus, not a set of homes spread across towns. The Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs main campus is at 287 West Street, Rocky Hill, with two residential programs, the Residential Facility and Patriots Landing, both described by the department as temporary supportive living, plus the Sgt. John L. Levitow Healthcare Center, a skilled nursing facility on the same campus. Do not treat the Rocky Hill campus as an assisted living option: its residential programs are temporary and rehabilitative, and its health care center is skilled nursing. For VA health care, use VA.gov to find the facility nearest your parent.
Connecticut against the national median, in one row
Connecticut assisted living at $8,676 a month sits $2,476 above the $6,200 national median, home care at $36 an hour sits $1 above the $35 national rate, adult day care at $109 a day sits $14 above the $95 national rate, and a nursing home semi-private room at $15,208 a month sits $5,627 above the $9,581 national figure. Connecticut is an above-average state on every row, and the nursing home gap is the story: at $15,208 a month, a semi-private nursing home room costs $6,532 a month more than the $8,676 assisted living 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.
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut license assisted living communities?
Not the building itself. Connecticut does not license the physical setting of a managed residential community directly. The Department of Public Health licenses the assisted living services agencies that operate within those communities, so check the care agency's license, not just the building's marketing.
Does Connecticut Medicaid pay for assisted living room and board?
No. CHCPE lists assisted living services among its services, but waiver coverage is limited to hands-on services, and federal law bars states from paying room and board costs under a Medicaid waiver. The resident pays room and board from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds.
Why do Bridgeport and Stamford show the same figure?
Because the CareScout calculator maps Stamford to the Bridgeport metropolitan region. The $9,740 figure is the Bridgeport region median, applied to both cities, not two independent city surveys. Budget a Stamford move from the Bridgeport region figure until you hold written quotes from Stamford communities themselves.
Does the $8,676 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 CHCPE and VA eligibility before you sign. Start with assisted living checklist and assisted living costs.