120 Assisted Living Communities in San Mateo County, California

The average cost of assisted living in the county is $5,500 a month. This guide is a starting point covering the cost of assisted living care in the county, as well as financing options to pay for it. You’ll find in-depth information on 120 Assisted Living Communities in San Mateo County and several in surrounding areas. The Cost of Senior Care in San Mateo County, CA

Assisted Living: $5,500
Nursing Home Care: $9,148
In-home Care: $5,625
Adult Day Health Services: $1,733

Assisted Living Facilities near San Mateo County, California

Compare Costs, Photos, & Reviews of All Your Options Near San Mateo County

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Reviews of Assisted Living Facilities in San Mateo County

Bobby

March 8, 2024

I am/was a resident of this facilityReview of The Peninsula Regent

We've live here quite some time now and have enjoyed every minute. The apartments are well laid out. We have a one bedroom/den/bath, but larger two bedroom/two bath units are also available. Every unit has a balcony. You actually own your own condominium here instead of just renting. There are plenty of things to do, and the food is quite good. There's a dining room for evening dinners and Sunday brunch, and a bistro for daily breakfast and lunch. We enjoy a covered pool and hot tub, an exercise room, an onsite beauty salon, and several activity rooms. Best of all is the friendships we've made here. This is the friendliest retirement community that we've ever visited.

May 14, 2020

I visited this facilityReview of San Carlos Elms

I was welcomed at San Carlos Elms. It was neat. The exterior was beautiful, but the interior was dated and a little dilapidated. I had to wait for the staff member because she wasn't quite ready for me. It had a community center vibe to it. Somebody was playing a piano but not very well, and I thought it was good for them. Like if you can play the piano, even if it is not very good, go ahead and play it. It just seemed to be all walks of life (which I appreciated), as opposed to being quiet and stodgy. It had a fun feel to it. The negative was that the rooms were shadowed and the building interior was not updated. The communal areas, like the game and movie room, were on the small side. If everyone came it would be packed because it was small. The dining room was large for some activities.

May 1, 2020

I visited this facilityReview of San Carlos Elms

Nicole

November 13, 2019

I visited this facilityReview of Brookdale Redwood City

Brookdale Redwood City was really lovely, the staff was incredibly friendly, and it was probably the most affordable out of all the places I looked at. I really liked them. It's very close to a park, and they also have a free shuttle service within a ten-mile radius, They have a lot of activities and plans.

Relative121

October 30, 2018

I am a current client of this providerReview of Gentiva Personal Care - Daly City

We got them, it's good, and I liked it. They're friendly. The caregivers are very good, very knowledgeable, and they do everything we asked them to do.

Mary

August 10, 2018

I visited this facilityReview of Peninsula Del Rey

Peninsula Del Rey is a very beautiful community, but they have very little assisted living, and they're more geared for independent living. They have a full beauty salon, exercise room, and an inner court that was very nice and very sheltered. You walk in it's very impressive, there's a two-level high ceiling, and a beautiful staircase that's two stories up. The public rooms are beautiful, it's a fairly new community so everything was nice. Some of the bedrooms they offer include 1-bedrooms, and some are studios; they all have functional kitchens so people can do what they want. There are lots of activities and transportation is provided. It seems geared more toward independent living. The assisted living was quite expensive because you get points for all the assistance you get, and they actually have a limit as to how much assistance a person can get as well. It's not a fit for someone who really needs assistance, but it's a very nice place.

Mark

August 1, 2018

I am/was a resident of this facilityReview of Atria Park of San Mateo

I moved into independent living at Atria Hillsdale. The staff is very friendly and responsive. The rooms are 1-bedroom studio apartments with a bathroom, and housekeeping cleans it once a week. There's lots to do around here if you can get around. It's conveniently located. They offer limited transportation. They have bingo, poker, word games, and brain games. I do a lot of reading. It's cheaper than some.

Frances

July 7, 2018

I visited this facilityReview of Atria Park of San Mateo

I was very impressed with Atria Hillsdale when I went inside. The place seemed well-run and very nice, but my insurance just couldn't cover that. The person who accommodated me was very nice. Their common areas are very open and nice, and the big dining area is open to the public. It was an extremely clean community, and I liked the layout because everything opened into one area. It's just a little off-putting because it's right off a major highway, but when you go inside, it's completely different.

Irv

June 18, 2018

I am a past client of this providerReview of Gentiva Personal Care - Daly City

It was absolutely great and wonderful. I would recommend them highly. They cared for my mom, helped her with bathing, running errands, a lot of house cleaning, and they even washed her clothes. Everything that they could ask you to do, they did it, even beyond what the contract said. The billing was perfect and I couldn't ask for better. Stephanie, the point of contact, was attentive and looked after every detail. She even came to the house a number of times with the care person.

Map of San Mateo County, California

Assisted Living Costs in San Mateo County

According to Genworth’s 2018 Cost of Care study, monthly assisted living prices in San Mateo County are higher than both the national average of $4,000 and the state average of $4,500. Prices are about the same in nearby areas such as San Jose ($5,500), Santa Rosa ($5,500), Santa Cruz ($5,595) and Napa ($5,425). In Vallejo, also nearby, prices are lower ($4,350), while to the east of San Mateo County, assisted living costs are significantly lower in Stockton ($3,500) and Modesto ($3,200).

Note: Senior care cost data wasn’t available for San Mateo County, so data for the closest city, San Francisco, was used.

San Mateo County/San Francisco Area

$5,500

National Average

$4,000

State Average

$4,500

Vallejo

$4,350

San Jose

$5,500

Stockton

$3,500

Modesto

$3,200

Santa Rosa

$5,500

Santa Cruz

$5,595

Care Cost Comparison

The wide range of prices for senior care in San Mateo County is due to the differences in the type of care. The exceptionally high cost of living in the area also influences senior care costs. As with all other areas, nursing home care is the most expensive senior care option because it involves 24/7 skilled nursing in a specialized, licensed facility. Assisted living costs are similar to both a home health aide and a homemaker, although in-home services do not include room-and-board expenses while residential care services do.

Senior Care Cost Comparison Chart

Assisted Living

$5,500

Homemaker Services

$5,625

Home Health Aide

$5,625

Adult Day Health Services

$1,733

Nursing Home Care

$9,148

Financial Assistance for Assisted Living in San Mateo County

Medicaid in California

Established in 1965 by the federal government to ensure low-income Americans had access to basic health care nationwide, Medicaid provides emergency, acute and long-term health care for more than 75 million children, adults and seniors. Medicaid currently covers about one in four California residents using matching funds provided by the state and federal government.

Known as Medi-Cal, California Medicaid is free for seniors 65 and older who earn less than $1,242 per month and own less than $2,000 worth of countable assets. Couples applying together can earn no more than $1,682 per month and own no more than $3,000 in countable assets.

Under Medicaid rules, countable assets include all cash, stocks, bonds and real estate except for the applicants’ principal residence. Applicants are also exempt from counting one vehicle, a non-revocable burial trust and personal belongings such as clothing and household furnishings.

Medi-Cal applicants are subject to a 30-month look-back period during which time any assets that were gifted, transferred or sold will be audited to ensure applicants do not dispose of assets that could be used to fund their care. If a disqualifying property transfer is discovered, the senior may be penalized with a period of Medi-Cal ineligibility based on both the value of the transferred asset and the current monthly cost for private nursing home care.

Applicants who have incomes that exceed Medi-Cal limits may qualify for coverage through a Share of Cost agreement. Under SoC, seniors must spend a designated amount of their monthly income toward their medical expenses before Medi-Cal coverage kicks in. Note that in many cases, the SoC amount is higher than what private health insurance would cost, and SoC enrollees are excluded from Medicaid waiver programs. SoC cannot be used to spend down excess assets.

Assisted Living Waiver

The Medi-Cal Assisted Living waiver is a Medicaid home and community-based services waiver designed to reduce nursing home placement rates among Medicaid-eligible seniors. It provides enhanced services in an assisted living environment such as housekeeping and laundry, medication management, transportation and intermittent skilled nursing care. Ongoing case management is also included.

To qualify for the ALW, seniors must:

Be approved for free, full-scope Medi-Cal coverage with no SoC
Want to reside in an assisted living facility rather than a nursing home
Have care needs that meet the criteria for nursing home placement through Medi-Cal
Be willing to live in a facility that participates in the ALW program in San Mateo County

Note that seniors who are currently living in a nursing home who meet the ALW criteria are also eligible, and nursing home transition support is included.

For more information, contact the Care Coordinator Agency in San Mateo County, the Institute on Aging, at (650) 424-1411.

Other Financial Assistance Programs for Assisted Living

Optional State Supplementation

Low-income seniors who receive Social Security Income and need to live in an assisted living facility due to age-related deterioration may qualify for additional monthly cash benefits through the Optional State Supplementation program.

This state-sponsored program provides eligible seniors with a maximum monthly SSI payment of $1,194.37 when applying as an individual, and up to $2,388.74 when applying with a spouse. This money is for the room-and-board portion of assisted living costs.

For more information about the California OSS program, contact the County of San Mateo Human Services at (650) 301-8440.

VA Aid and Attendance Benefits and Housebound Allowance

VA Aid and Attendance and Housebound are two VA pension top-up programs for veterans and their survivors who qualify for regular VA pension benefits and are either housebound or severely limited as a result of a disability.

To qualify for Housebound benefits, applicants must have a permanent disability that leaves them largely restricted to their primary place of residence, which may be an assisted living facility. Note that the disability does not need to be service-related.

If approved for Housebound benefits, applicants may receive combined annual pension payments of up to:

$16,540 for veterans without dependents

$20,731 for veterans with one dependent

$11,095 for survivors without dependents

$13,893 for survivors with one dependent

To qualify for Aid and Attendance, applicants must either live in a nursing home, be legally blind, be bedridden due to a chronic illness or need help from another person to perform one or more activities of daily living such as bathing, eating, dressing or managing a prosthetic device.

If approved for Aid and Attendance, applicants may receive combined annual pension payments of up to:

$22,577 for veterans without dependents

$26,766 for veterans with one dependent

$14,509 for survivors without dependents

$17,309 for survivors with one dependent

Note that Aid and Attendance Allowance and Housebound Benefits cannot be combined with a VA disability pension; however, current recipients of VA disability compensation can apply for these two programs. If approved, applicants can opt to accept the benefits program that provides the most money.

Applicants should also note that the Aid and Attendance allowance and Housebound Benefits cannot be collected concurrently.

For more information and application assistance, contact the San Mateo County Veterans Service Office at (650) 802-6598.

Senior Centers

Seniors in San Mateo County are welcome to join any of the county’s senior centers, which offer free and low-cost recreational and social programming for adults 50 and older. Seniors can join in weekly bingo games, participate in horseshoe and bocce leagues, take a computer class or go on an escorted trip to local restaurants and attractions.

San Mateo Senior Center
2645 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 522-7490

City of San Bruno 50+ Senior Center
1555 Crystal Springs Road, San Bruno, CA 94066
(650) 616-7150

Veterans Services

Veterans and survivors can contact the San Mateo County Veterans Service Office for assistance with Aid and Attendance and Housebound applications, information on VA benefits and help with obtaining service records. VA health care services are available at the San Bruno VA Outpatient Clinic, an affiliate of the San Francisco VA Health Care System.

San Mateo County Veterans Service Office
550 Quarry Road, San Carlos, CA 94070
(650) 802-6598

San Bruno VA Clinic
1001 Sneath Lane, Suite 300, San Bruno, CA 94066-2349
(650) 615-6000

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120 Assisted Living Communities in San Mateo County, California

Assisted Living Facilities near San Mateo County, California

Atria at Foster Square

Sunrise of San Mateo

Brookdale Redwood City

Mills Estate Villa

Pacifica Senior Living Burlingame

Cadence Millbrae

Compare Costs, Photos, & Reviews of All Your Options Near San Mateo County

Atria Park of San Mateo

The Stratford

Ivy Park at Belmont

Serra Highlands Senior Living

Oakmont of Burlingame

The Trousdale

Oakmont of Redwood City

Vista Terrace of Belmont

Hopkins Manor

Golden Age Inc

Golden Manor of San Bruno

Silver Oaks Memory Care

Spice of Life

Magnolia of Millbrae

Peninsula Del Rey

Palm Villas of Redwood City

Aegis of San Francisco

Westborough Royale

The ARK

The Sequoias Portola Valley

Westborough Manor 5

Mills-Peninsula Skilled Nursing

Lane Partners LLC

St. Francis Heights Convalescent Hospital

The Forum at Rancho San Antonio

The Parkview

Pacifica Senior Living Union City

MorningStar Senior Living of Hayward

Brookdale San Ramon

Pacific Gardens Assisted Living & Memory Support

Atria Sunnyvale

Pacifica Senior Living Oakland Heights

Belmont Village San Jose

Belmont Village Sunnyvale

Carlton Senior Living Downtown Pleasant Hill

Atria Park of Lafayette

Carlton Senior Living Fremont

Cogir of Fremont Senior Living

Westmont of Pinole

Waters Edge Lodge

BridgePoint at Los Altos

Pacifica Senior Living San Leandro

The Point at Rockridge

Oakmont of San Jose

Coterie Cathedral Hill

Landmark Villa

The Kensington

Westmont of San Jose

Acacia Creek

Atria Walnut Creek

Atria Valley View

Vi At Palo Alto

Carlton Senior Living San Leandro

Carlton Senior Living Pleasant Hill

Our Family Advisors can help your family make a confident decision about senior living.

Reviews of Assisted Living Facilities in San Mateo County

Map of San Mateo County, California

Assisted Living Costs in San Mateo County

Care Cost Comparison

Senior Care Cost Comparison Chart

Financial Assistance for Assisted Living in San Mateo County

Medicaid in California

Other Financial Assistance Programs for Assisted Living

Senior Centers

Veterans Services

Nearby Assisted Living Communities

Find Communities

Other Senior Living in San Mateo County, CA

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Compare Costs, Photos, & Reviews of All Your Options Near San Mateo County