The 10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Atlanta, GA for 2023

The birthplace of Coca-Cola and home to CNN, Atlanta is Georgia’s largest city, with a population nudging toward half a million. The 65 and older age group makes up around 11.5%. In 2014, Atlanta joined the AARP Age-Friendly Network, pledging to develop senior-friendly policies that create a safer environment with more opportunities for older residents. The city also boasts great shopping malls, particularly in Buckhead, as well as restaurants serving local and international cuisine and world-class museums.

Seniors in Atlanta are well-served by the city’s assisted living facilities. They provide high levels of care for people who need assistance with everyday tasks, such as personal grooming, in addition to clean and comfortable living spaces and opportunities to socialize with other residents. According to the 2021 Genworth Cost of Care Survey, the typical fee in Atlanta is $3,845 per month, which is more than the state average but significantly below normal for the country, which has a median of $4,500. 

This guide considers the benefits and drawbacks of living in Atlanta and the expected costs for different types of senior care in the city. It also includes some useful resources for seniors considering assisted living.

Healthcare Facility Regulation is a branch of the Department of Community Health responsible for licensing and regulating assisted living facilities throughout Georgia. The division has a wide remit which includes investigating the legal and financial suitability of applicants and continual monitoring of their services after granting a license. It also frequently conducts unannounced inspections and revokes licenses from underperforming facilities.

• Atlanta has some of the best-performing hospitals in the country. Emory University Hospital specializes in cardiac care, oncology and transplantation. Emory St. Joseph Hospital has a great reputation for its heart and vascular and orthopedics work, and the city is also home to a significant number of Medicare-registered physicians. 
• Major cities tend to attract more criminals, particularly if, like Atlanta, they’re popular with tourists. Consequently, the city has significantly higher rates of property and violent crime than normal for Georgia. However, it’s mostly concentrated in certain areas, such as downtown and some northwest neighborhoods. Generally speaking, the east side of the city has less crime. Seniors concerned by the statistics may want to know assisted living facilities typically include security systems and have staff on-site 24/7.
• Atlanta has a relatively stable climate, with temperatures hovering around 33 degrees in January, rising to a comfortable 88 degrees in July. The city gets 12 more sunny days annually than the U.S. average of 205, and there’s some kind of precipitation on about 109 days. Rainfall is significantly higher than normal, contributing to the abundance of trees and flora in the city and the richly green landscape enveloping it. 
• Sperling’s BestPlaces’ cost of living index for Atlanta is 107.5, which is above the state and national indices. It appears that housing and transportation costs are the biggest contributors, but the former isn’t likely to concern seniors in assisted living too much. Not all costs are higher, though, as the table shows healthcare in Atlanta to be significantly more affordable than normal for Georgia and the United States.
• MARTA Mobility is a transportation service for frail seniors operated by Atlanta’s transport authority. All of its rail cars, stations and buses are suitable for people with disabilities. MARTA trains eligible cardholders how to use its trains and bus services, including ride-share solutions and charges $4 per one-way trip anywhere within the counties of Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton.

The results of the 2021 Genworth Cost of Care Survey show the typical senior in Atlanta pays approximately $3,845 per month for assisted living. This is $310 more than normal for Georgia, although significantly below the U.S. average of $4,500.

Despite having higher costs than average for the state, Georgia doesn’t have the highest fees in the region. Less than 80 minutes northeast of the city, in Athens, seniors typically pay $4,184 to their assisted living providers. Gainesville is as expensive, at $3,893, but it’s still more costly than Atlanta. Seniors looking for more affordable care may want to consider relocating to Macon, which has the most affordable fees in the state, at $2,860 per month.

Assisted living costs in Atlanta are an attractive alternative to homemaker services, at $4,290, and home health aide support, at $4,576, because the senior still has home maintenance costs after paying for their care. Nursing homes also provide accommodation, but their fees are much higher, typically $7,528 for a semiprivate room and another $1,065 per month for a private one. Only adult day care centers cost less than assisted living, with average fees of $1,327. 

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 Georgia page.