Assisted Living Cost in Oregon
Oregon is the priciest state for a nursing home room in the country, at $18,448 a month for a private room, the highest private room figure in the nation, yet its assisted living median sits only $675 above the national figure. Bend runs highest among places checked at $8,808 a month, and every place in the table sits above the state median. The Medicaid route is also unusual: Oregon pays for assisted living through a state plan benefit, not a capped waiver, so the payment section below explains the room and board split instead of a waitlist. If your parent lives near Bend, budget from the Bend figure, not the state figure.
Sources: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, released March 2026, ranked state tables and Cost of Care calculator, accessed November 2026; Oregon Department of Human Services K Plan and Aging and People with Disabilities information; Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs veterans homes information.
Oregon assisted living costs, against the national median
The table below is the CareScout 2025 survey for Oregon, 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 | Oregon median | National median |
|---|---|---|
| Assisted living, per month | $6,875 ($82,494 per year) | $6,200 ($74,400 per year) |
| Home care, non-medical caregiver, per hour | $40 ($91,520 per year at 44 hours a week) | $35 ($80,080 per year at 44 hours a week) |
| Adult day health care, per day | $200 ($52,000 per year at 5 days a week) | $95 ($24,700 per year at 5 days a week) |
| Nursing home, semi-private room, per month | $16,760 ($201,115 per year) | $9,581 ($114,975 per year) |
| Nursing home, private room, per month | $18,448 ($221,373 per year) | $10,798 ($129,575 per year) |
The assisted living cost Oregon median runs $675 a month above the national median, which is $8,094 over a full year (82,494 minus 74,400). Home care at $40 an hour sits $5 above the $35 national rate. Adult day care at $200 a day sits $105 above the $95 national rate. A semi-private nursing home room at $16,760 sits $7,179 above the $9,581 national figure, and a private room at $18,448 sits $7,650 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 Oregon 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 $7,250 to $8,808, a gap of $1,558 a month between the lowest and highest Oregon place in this table. Each place maps to its own metropolitan region, so read these as region figures, not as place-specific surveys.
| Place | Assisted living median per month, 2025 | Against the Oregon median |
|---|---|---|
| Bend | $8,808 | $1,933 above |
| Portland | $7,889 | $1,014 above |
| Eugene | $7,690 | $815 above |
| Salem | $7,250 | $375 above |
All four places in this table sit above the $6,875 state median, which tells you smaller regions outside these places pull the state figure down, not up. Bend at $8,808 sits $1,933 above the state median, the largest place gap on this page, while Salem, the lowest place in this table, still sits $375 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.
Oregon licenses assisted living facilities and residential care facilities through the Department of Human Services, under administrative rule chapter 411, division 54. An assisted living facility must provide a private apartment, a private bath, and a kitchenette, while a residential care facility may have shared rooms and shared baths or private apartments. A Memory Care Community endorsement is an added license on top of the underlying setting license. Ask at the tour, in writing, which license a 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 Oregon: Oregon Health Plan and the K Plan
Oregon's Medicaid help for assisted living runs through the Oregon Health Plan, the state's Medicaid program, and the Community First Choice Option, known in Oregon as the K Plan, a 1915(k) state plan option administered by the Department of Human Services, Aging and People with Disabilities. A state plan option is not a capped waiver, so the K Plan is not subject to a waiver enrollment cap. The K Plan covers assisted living, residential care, and memory care facility services, with payment in five levels based on assessed need. Medicaid does not pay room and board as a K Plan service: the resident pays the room and board amount, and if the resident's gross income is less than the room and board standard, the department issues a special needs payment to the facility for the difference. No official department page states a current waitlist for the related Aged and Physically Disabled Waiver, so this page makes no waitlist claim. For help sorting the options, the Aging and Disability Resource Connection runs a statewide line at 1-855-673-2372. 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 Oregon
For a veteran parent, two Oregon 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 home system. Oregon has two state veterans homes, run by the Department of Veterans' Affairs: the Oregon Veterans' Home in The Dalles, a 151-bed skilled nursing facility, and the Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home in Lebanon, a 154-bed assisted living and memory care facility. A third home in Roseburg is authorized by law but not yet built, so do not count it as an open home. State veterans homes are 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.
Oregon against the national median, in one row
Assisted living cost Oregon at $6,875 a month sits $675 above the $6,200 national median, home care at $40 an hour sits $5 above the $35 national rate, adult day care at $200 a day sits $105 above the $95 national rate, and a nursing home semi-private room at $16,760 a month sits $7,179 above the $9,581 national figure. Oregon is a pricier state for assisted living and home care, a markedly pricier state for adult day care, and the priciest state in the country for nursing home rooms. At $16,760 a month, a semi-private nursing home room costs $9,885 a month more than the $6,875 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 the K Plan pay for room and board?
No. Medicaid does not pay room and board as a K Plan service. The resident pays the room and board amount, and if the resident's gross income is less than the room and board standard, the department issues a special needs payment to the facility for the difference. Budget the room and board portion from income, VA benefits where eligible, or family funds, and confirm the facility's room and board charge in writing before admission.
What is the difference between an assisted living facility and a residential care facility?
An assisted living facility must provide a private apartment, a private bath, and a kitchenette, while a residential care facility may have shared rooms and shared baths or private apartments. Both are licensed by the Department of Human Services. A Memory Care Community endorsement is an added license on top of the underlying setting license. Ask which license a setting holds at the tour, because the license sets what the building must provide.
Is there a waitlist for the K Plan?
No waitlist applies to the K Plan itself, because it is a state plan benefit rather than a capped waiver. The related Aged and Physically Disabled Waiver is a separate program, and no official department page states its current waitlist status, so this page makes no waitlist claim for it. Call the Aging and Disability Resource Connection at 1-855-673-2372 to check the route that fits your parent.
Does the $6,875 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 Oregon Health Plan K Plan and VA eligibility before you sign. Start with assisted living checklist and assisted living costs.