The 10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Poway, CA for 2023

Located just north of San Diego, Poway is a beautiful area known for its open spaces and natural settings for outdoor activities while still having close access to urban amenities. With its temperate climate and plenty of sunny days, Poway offers an attractive retirement location for many seniors, who make up 18.7% of the local population. The city is close to Palomar Medical Center Poway and Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, and it has an above-average number of physicians per capita, so health-conscious seniors can rest assured that they will receive quality care in the area.

Assisted living offers seniors a homelike residential care facility, with residents often having their own suites, studios or apartments. They can receive around-the-clock support with daily living tasks from trained staff members. In Poway, the monthly cost of assisted living averages $5,475, slightly more than the state average of $5,250 and nearly $1,000 more than the national average.

This guide provides insight into assisted living in Poway, including the average costs of care and resources to assist seniors. It also provides information about the benefits and drawbacks of choosing Poway as a retirement location.

Assisted living facilities in Poway and the rest of California are regulated and monitored by the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. This department enforces state regulations, licenses facilities and investigates violation complaints. It also provides access to a licensed care database to locate assisted living facilities throughout the state.

• The cost of living in Poway is quite high, both compared to the national average and the California state average. It is nearly 75% more expensive than the nation and nearly 25% more than the state average. This high cost is influenced dramatically by the extremely high cost of housing in the area, but health care tends to be cheaper than the national average by around 11%, providing some relief.
• Poway’s climate is very comfortable compared to most other areas. On the BestPlaces Comfort Index, Poway scores an 8.9/10 on average, with a 9.1 in the summer and an 8.6 in the winter. It rains 13 inches per year on average, much lower than the national average of 38, and boasts 267 days of sunshine per year, compared to the 205-day national average.
• Both property and violent crime rates are much lower in Poway than the U.S. average. On a 100-point scale, Poway scores 12 for violent crime, compared to the national average of 22.7. Property crime is a bit more frequent, scoring 21.7 compared to the U.S. average of 35.4.
• In Poway, seniors can enjoy numerous health benefits. Residents have access to 233 physicians per 100,000 residents, compared to the U.S. average of 210. The city also has high water quality, ranked on the BestPlaces Water Quality Index at 75 with the U.S. average at 55. The air quality in the area is also better than the national average, scoring 64 on the BestPlaces Air Quality Index compared to the U.S. average of 58.
• California taxes withdrawals from many retirement accounts. However, it does not tax Social Security income, including survivor’s benefits or disability benefits.

In Poway, seniors can expect to pay an average of $5,475 per month for assisted living, though the exact cost can vary by facility.

Assisted living in Poway is $225 more than the state average and nearly $1,000 more than the national average. Costs increase considerably in El Centro, averaging $675 more per month. To the north in Los Angeles, costs are slightly more affordable at $5,250 per month. Riverside and Bakersfield offer even lower costs for care, averaging $4,000 and $3,750, respectively.

While assisted living is great for active seniors in need of a little help, other care options may be more suitable. Adult day health care comes with a savings of nearly $3,500. In-home care and home health care are more expensive than assisted living, averaging $6,387 and $6,473, respectively. The increased cost of home health care is due to additional medical services provided by licensed medical professionals. Seniors in need of around-the-clock care or skilled nursing may benefit from a nursing home, with semiprivate rooms averaging a monthly cost of $9,384.

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for assisted living, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance assisted living costs include:

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

For more information about different ways to finance assisted living, visit our Assisted Living in California page.