Assisted Living Cost in Georgia
If your parent is moving to Georgia from another state, do not budget from the national figure and do not budget from Atlanta alone. Georgia sits below the national median on every care type in this table, but the gap between Augusta and Columbus is $1,163 a month, which is larger than the gap between Georgia and the nation. The other fact to get right first is the Medicaid route, which covers care services in a personal care home but does not pay room and board.
Sources: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, released March 2026, ranked state tables and Cost of Care calculator, accessed November 2026; Georgia Department of Community Health waiver information; Georgia Department of Veterans Service state veterans homes information.
Georgia assisted living costs, against the national median
The table below is the CareScout 2025 survey for Georgia, 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 | Georgia median | National median |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living, per month | $5,050 ($60,600 per year) | $6,200 ($74,400 per year) |
| Home care, non-medical caregiver, per hour | $32 ($73,216 per year at 44 hours a week) | $35 ($80,080 per year at 44 hours a week) |
| Adult day health care, per day | $90 ($23,400 per year at 5 days a week) | $95 ($24,700 per year at 5 days a week) |
| Nursing home, semi-private room, per month | $8,821 ($105,852 per year) | $9,581 ($114,975 per year) |
| Nursing home, private room, per month | $9,429 ($113,148 per year) | $10,798 ($129,575 per year) |
The assisted living cost Georgia median runs $1,150 a month below the national median, which is $13,800 over a full year (74,400 minus 60,600). Home care at $32 an hour sits $3 below the $35 national rate. Adult day care at $90 a day sits $5 below the $95 national rate. A semi-private nursing home room at $8,821 sits $760 below the $9,581 national figure, and a private room at $9,429 sits $1,369 below the $10,798 national figure. For the full national picture, read how much does assisted living cost and how much does a nursing home cost.
Assisted living cost Georgia 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 $4,675 to $5,838, a gap of $1,163 a month between the lowest and highest Georgia place in this table.
| Place | Assisted living median per month, 2025 | Against the Georgia median |
|---|---|---|
| Augusta | $5,838 | $788 above |
| Atlanta | $5,600 | $550 above |
| Savannah | $5,300 | $250 above |
| Columbus | $4,675 | $375 below |
Augusta is the only place in this table above the $5,050 state median, by $788 a month, while Columbus sits $375 below it. Atlanta, the place most families ask about first, sits $550 above the state median. That shape matters for budgeting: a family in Columbus who budgets from the Augusta figure overstates the bill by $1,163 a month. Use the place figure, 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.
Georgia calls these settings personal care homes, and an assisted living community in Georgia is a personal care home serving 25 or more residents that the state has also licensed to provide assisted living care. Smaller personal care homes hold the base license only, so the license type matters at the tour: ask, in writing, which license the home holds, 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 Georgia: CCSP and SOURCE
Georgia's Medicaid route for care in a personal care home runs through the Elderly and Disabled Waiver, which funds two programs: the Community Care Services Program (CCSP) and Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment (SOURCE). CCSP lists alternative living services in a personal care home among its services, and SOURCE provides coordinated services in the home or community for frail, elderly, and disabled Georgians who meet Supplemental Security Income Medicaid criteria and require a nursing home level of care, and it is only available in certain areas of the state. Neither program pays room and board in a personal care home, so the resident pays housing costs from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds. This page states no Georgia 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 Georgia
For a veteran parent, two Georgia 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. Georgia has two skilled nursing care homes for eligible war veterans, one in Augusta and one in Milledgeville, and admission requires VA approval that the veteran needs skilled nursing care. They 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.
Georgia against the national median, in one row
Georgia assisted living at $5,050 a month sits $1,150 below the $6,200 national median, home care at $32 an hour sits $3 below the $35 national rate, adult day care at $90 a day sits $5 below the $95 national rate, and a nursing home semi-private room at $8,821 a month sits $760 below the $9,581 national figure. Georgia is a below-average state on every care type in this table. At $8,821 a month, a semi-private nursing home room costs $3,771 a month more than the $5,050 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 place.
Frequently asked questions
Does Georgia Medicaid pay for assisted living room and board?
No. CCSP and SOURCE can cover care services for eligible residents in a personal care home, but neither program pays room and board. The resident pays housing costs from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds.
What is the difference between a personal care home and an assisted living community in Georgia?
Every assisted living community in Georgia is a personal care home, but not every personal care home is an assisted living community. The assisted living community license applies to a personal care home serving 25 or more residents that the state has licensed to provide assisted living care. Check the home's license type at the tour, because a smaller home with only the base license may not provide the same level of care.
Why is Augusta above the state median while Columbus is below it?
Because each place median reflects the providers surveyed in that place's region, not the state as a whole. Augusta at $5,838 and Columbus at $4,675 are two different local markets, $1,163 apart. Budget from the place where your parent will actually live, then replace the median with written quotes from communities in that place.
Does the $5,050 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 CCSP or SOURCE and VA eligibility before you sign. Start with assisted living checklist and assisted living costs.