Assisted Living Cost in Idaho
Idaho is cheaper than the nation for assisted living but dearer for nursing home rooms, and that split is the planning point: do not assume the cheaper setting stays cheaper at every care level. Idaho also has a data gap to respect, with no adult day median published in the ranked table. The other fact to get right first is the Medicaid route, which covers care services in a residential assisted living facility 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; Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Aged and Disabled Waiver rules; Idaho Division of Veterans Services state veterans homes information.
Idaho assisted living costs, against the national median
The table below is the CareScout 2025 survey for Idaho, 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 | Idaho median | National median |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living, per month | $4,956 ($59,472 per year) | $6,200 ($74,400 per year) |
| Home care, non-medical caregiver, per hour | $38 ($88,088 per year at 44 hours a week) | $35 ($80,080 per year at 44 hours a week) |
| Adult day health care, per day | Not published in the CareScout ranked table | $95 ($24,700 per year at 5 days a week) |
| Nursing home, semi-private room, per month | $10,494 ($125,928 per year) | $9,581 ($114,975 per year) |
| Nursing home, private room, per month | $12,167 ($146,004 per year) | $10,798 ($129,575 per year) |
The assisted living cost Idaho median runs $1,244 a month below the national median, which is $14,932 over a full year (74,400 minus 59,468). Home care at $38 an hour sits $3 above the $35 national rate. CareScout publishes no adult day health care median for Idaho in this table, due to insufficient data for that care type in the state, so this page states none rather than estimating one. A semi-private nursing home room at $10,494 sits $913 above the $9,581 national figure, and a private room at $12,167 sits $1,369 above 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 Idaho 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 $5,461 to $6,600, a gap of $1,139 a month between the lowest and highest Idaho place in this table. Pocatello is not in this table: the calculator maps Pocatello to the Idaho state figure only, not to a Pocatello-specific region, so no Pocatello place figure is stated here.
| Place | Assisted living median per month, 2025 | Against the Idaho median |
|---|---|---|
| Coeur d'Alene | $6,600 | $1,644 above |
| Idaho Falls | $6,045 | $1,089 above |
| Boise | $5,461 | $505 above |
All three places in this table sit above the $4,956 state median, which tells you smaller regions outside these places pull the state figure down, not up. Coeur d'Alene at $6,600 sits $1,644 above the state median, and Boise, the place most families ask about first, sits $505 above it. Do not treat the state median as the price in any of these places: 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.
Idaho calls these settings residential assisted living facilities, licensed under the state's residential assisted living facility rules, and the state also certifies family homes, which are smaller, home-based settings. The setting type matters at the tour: a residential assisted living facility and a certified family home are not the same license, and a parent whose needs pass what a small home can provide will need a different setting or added services. Ask at the tour, in writing, which license the setting 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 Idaho: Aged and Disabled Waiver
Idaho's Medicaid route for care in a residential assisted living facility is the Aged and Disabled Waiver, run by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for seniors who require a nursing facility level of care and choose to live in the community instead. The waiver's adult residential care service covers a range of services in a homelike, noninstitutional setting, including licensed residential assisted living facilities and certified family homes, and payment does not include room and board, so the resident pays housing costs from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds. The waiver is not an entitlement, so enrollment spots are limited and eligible applicants can wait. This page states no Idaho 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 Idaho
For a veteran parent, two Idaho 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. Idaho has four state veterans homes, in Boise, Lewiston, Pocatello, and Post Falls, providing 24-hour skilled nursing care for veterans who can no longer provide for themselves. 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.
Idaho against the national median, in one row
Idaho assisted living at $4,956 a month sits $1,244 below the $6,200 national median, home care at $38 an hour sits $3 above the $35 national rate, adult day care has no published Idaho median in this table against the $95 national rate, and a nursing home semi-private room at $10,494 a month sits $913 above the $9,581 national figure. Idaho is a cheaper-than-average state for assisted living and a dearer-than-average state for nursing home rooms. At $10,494 a month, a semi-private nursing home room costs $5,538 a month more than the $4,956 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 Idaho Medicaid pay for assisted living room and board?
No. The Aged and Disabled Waiver's adult residential care service covers services in a licensed residential assisted living facility or certified family home, but payment does not include room and board. The resident pays housing costs from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds.
Why does Idaho have no adult day median in this table?
Because CareScout did not publish one for Idaho in its 2025 ranked table, due to insufficient data for that care type in the state. This page leaves the cell blank rather than estimating a figure from another source or from the national rate.
Why is Pocatello missing from the place table?
Because the CareScout calculator maps Pocatello to the Idaho state figure only, not to a Pocatello-specific region. This page states no Pocatello place figure rather than presenting a state figure as if it were a Pocatello median. Budget a Pocatello move from written quotes from communities in Pocatello itself.
Does the $4,956 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 Aged and Disabled Waiver and VA eligibility before you sign. Start with assisted living checklist and assisted living costs.