In North Carolina, assisted living communities offer older adults a comfortable, hassle-free environment. As a Southern state famous for its diverse geography and culture, North Carolina offers plenty of charm and individuality. Its moderate cost of living and reasonable weather, in combination with stunning mountainous landscapes, historic coastal towns, and numerous state parks, make the state a remarkable place to call home.
A beautiful, clean, and safe place with quality caring staff that offers multiple levels of assisted living options. I would definitely recommend.
Admin staff is always eager to help and answer questions for me. Most of the staff are always smiling when they enter my Mom's room. They are willing to do little extra things that might come up unexpectedly...
Staff has been very responsive and gets back to me quickly. Food is mediocre. Activities seem plentiful. Room size is good in my opinion. I was told before my mom went there how great the food was and that...
We recently moved our mother from another facility to Legacy Heights Memory Care and we couldn't be happier. The Sales Director is an exceptional communicator and guided us through the process. The Executive...
My every experience with Sunrise of Providence has been outstanding. Staff are unfailingly pleasant, courteous competent, and prompt in meeting needs. The residence has a happy atmosphere: welcoming,...
I was just there visiting my Mother and I can’t express how happy I am with this facility. She is so happy and well taken care of. Everytime I see her she tells me how much she loves being there and the...
They were under the management as [community removed] . We chose them due to the care they gave the residents . Then they were bought out by Brookstone Terrace of Greensboro . They have been doing a good...
The staff are great to work with. If you have any concerns, there's always somebody that can help. They always have activities to keep my dad occupied and happy.
Initially, there were concerns around nonresponsive staff. However, that was resolved quickly. The only other concern is the frequency of room cleanup and bedding changes. Otherwise, the staff there is...
The facility is on the small side, feels very homey, staff is extremely pleasant and helpful. They are very encouraging to the residents to be involved in the different activities.
For all a 5 but for value for the money we still waiting on a breakdown of Dad's charges. I love the care he is getting. Much better than other places we had Dad before. Staff is very attentive, staff very...
Every staff member I run into says hello! I am welcome to see my mom anytime and even eat with her if I want. The food is good and they have a great snack selection. My mom loves the games like bingo and...
Staff is very attentive to the needs of the residents. Staff is keeps the residents engaged in activities and tries to make them feel like a family.
All workers are very kind. It's very clean. Many activities for the residents. I would recommend Sunrise to others who are currently searching for a place for their loved one.
The experience at Falls River Court has been a great experience and yes we would recommend the community to other families based on that experience
The average cost of assisted living in North Carolina is about $5,000 per month, according to A Place for Mom’s internal data on our partner communities throughout the state. That’s about $100 less expensive than the national average.[01]
However, assisted living costs vary across communities in North Carolina. Monthly costs range between about $3,000 at the low end and $7,100 at the highest end for North Carolina assisted living communities. This is because facilities base their costs on factors such as the following:
The figures above are reflective of actual prices paid by families who were referred to an A Place for Mom partner assisted living community in North Carolina. They account for all fees paid, including amenities, services, and care. Seniors and their families often use a combination of public and private payment methods to cover these costs. Read more about various payment options below.
Average monthly costs
North Carolina
US National average
Average monthly costs
North Carolina
South Carolina
Virginia
West Virginia
District of Columbia
Average monthly costs
Average monthly costs
| Community type | North Carolina | U.S. | Cost difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assisted Living | $4,435/mo | $4,778/mo | 7.2% below national median |
| Memory Care | $5,309/mo | $5,535/mo | 4.1% below national median |
| Independent Living | $3,693/mo | $4,175/mo | 11.5% below national median |
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Whether you or your family can cover assisted living using personal savings, or you opt to utilize public pay options, there are a variety of methods to pay for assisted living in North Carolina. This section outlines the various payment options families often use to cover their assisted living or long-term care costs. You can also view our guide to paying for long-term care for a high-level overview.
Some families can pay for long-term care using personal savings. However, there are a number of other private pay options. Click on the cards below to learn more about some different options.
North Carolina is home to roughly 637,800 veterans.[02] The state provides a range of benefits and resources for veteran residents in need of assisted living services.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides generous benefit coverage to eligible, disabled veterans and their spouses. Many veterans assume they won’t qualify for disability benefits, but many VA benefits’ eligibility criteria are more inclusive than you may think. Also, if you or a loved one acquired a disability during wartime service, additional benefits may apply. See the VA’s list of service-connected ailments to learn more about some qualification requirements. Keep in mind that the list is not exhaustive, and other situations may still qualify.
If you find you need help navigating veterans benefits, or you’re unsure what even qualifies you, you’re not alone — eligibility requirements and the benefits application processes can be quite confusing. Fortunately, North Carolina has many resources available to guide veterans and their families through it, including local VA centers and veterans service organizations (VSOs). VSOs can help veterans and spouses through the entire benefit claim process, especially disabled seniors in need of long-term, assisted living care.
Local VSOs in North Carolina include the following:
Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) has a regional office in the Winston-Salem area. They assist disabled veterans with various legal and medical matters and can provide advocacy to those seeking VA benefits.
Medicaid is a health insurance program for individuals with a low or limited income. It’s a state and federally funded program and is administered at the state level. Medicaid won’t cover the cost of room and board, but it can help families cover some assisted living costs.
NC Medicaid is North Carolina’s state Medicaid program. NC Medicaid covers a range of services, including the following:[03]
Most people receive their health care coverage through what’s called a “Standard Plan,” which offers physical health, pharmacy, care management, and basic behavioral health services. NC Medicaid also offers a “Tailored Plan” for people who need certain mental health services or have a traumatic brain injury or intellectual/developmental disability.[04]
Additionally, NC Medicaid offers a few waivers and programs that help more people have access to health care in the community of their choice, like an assisted living facility. The home and community waivers specific to North Carolina include the following:
Accessing or understanding Medicaid benefits can sometimes feel overwhelming. For free assistance, reach out to a local long-term care ombudsman. You can contact a North Carolina long-term care ombudsman by calling 1-800-662-7030.
Medicare is a federal health insurance program designed for adults aged 65 or older and people with disabilities. While Medicare can help cover some costs of assisted living, it won’t cover the cost of room and board or nonmedical personal care. If you’d like to learn whether a specific procedure, diagnostic test, or medical device is covered, you can search for it using the Medicare coverage search tool.
To help eligible individuals pay for premiums, deductibles, and copays associated with Medicare, North Carolina offers Medicare Savings Programs. For instance, Extra Help is a Medicare program that can help individuals who meet income requirements pay for their Medicare prescription drug costs.
Other Medicare programs in North Carolina include the following:
For further assistance with navigating Medicare benefits, reach out to one of North Carolina’s local resources:
The licensure term for assisted living in North Carolina is Assisted Living Residence. However, there are a couple of different types of Assisted Living Residences, each providing a slightly different scope of care:[05]
Adult Care Homes must be licensed through the North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Service Regulation, Adult Care Licensure Section. Multi-Unit Assisted Housing with Services facilities aren’t licensed, but they still must register with the Division of Health Service Regulation.
Although Adult Care Homes and Multi-Unit Assisted Housing with Services facilities are considered types of ALRs, each assisted living type is bound to slightly different rules and regulations. To read a full list of rules that North Carolina’s assisted living facilities are required to follow, view the North Carolina section in the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL)’s Assisted Living State Regulatory Review.
State regulations — and a community’s track record with inspections and licensing — offer important insights into safety and quality of care in senior living communities.
Download the Guide to Senior Living Licensure and Inspection Reports to learn what to look for in inspection reports and what questions to ask when touring communities. This resource explains how to use state licensure and inspection information to evaluate a community’s compliance, care standards, and responsiveness to issues.
Let our care assessment guide you
Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.
We developed a system to rate each state on how easy — or difficult — it is to find important assisted living records and reports, and we compiled tips to help you in your search.
States with the most transparent records allow you to look up important information about each assisted living facility online, including inspections, complaints, survey results, violations, capacity, and whether the facility accepts Medicaid.
Public access to assisted living records and reports for the state of North Carolina is exceptional. Key findings that informed this rating include:
How to look up North Carolina assisted living licenses and records
We developed a standard methodology for state data collection and evaluation, and we based our rating primarily on the objective, state-specific accessibility criteria outlined in these questions:
A Place for Mom. (2023). A Place for Mom proprietary data.
United States Census Bureau. QuickFacts North Carolina.
North Carolina Medicaid Division of Health Benefits (NCDHHS). Benefits and services.
North Carolina Medicaid Division of Health Benefits (NCDHHS). Learn about NC Medicaid Managed Care.
National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). (2022). Assisted living state regulatory review.
Overview of assisted living in NC
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical, legal or financial advice or create a professional relationship between A Place for Mom and the reader. Always seek the advice of your health care provider, attorney or financial advisor with respect to any particular matter, and do not act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything you have read on this site. Links to third-party websites are only for the convenience of the reader; A Place for Mom does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
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