The 3 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Chelsea, MI for 2023

Chelsea is a quaint city of under 5,500 residents located in Washtenaw County in southeastern Michigan, just 15 miles west of Ann Arbor. About a quarter of its population are seniors aged 65 or older, which works out to over 1,350 older adults. Despite being rather small, the thriving little city offers top-notch health facilities, various shopping and dining opportunities and world-class entertainment for all ages. It’s also ideal for seniors who enjoy an active lifestyle because it’s home to Waterloo State Recreation Area, the third-largest park in Michigan, which has more than 21,000 acres of lakes, forests and wetlands.

Assisted living is a type of senior housing that helps seniors maintain their independence by providing the right level of personalized care services, nursing care and homemaking in a residential setting. The average cost of assisted living in Chelsea is much higher than both the state and national averages at $5,590 per month.

This guide covers assisted living in Chelsea, such as the benefits and drawbacks of retiring here and how assisted living costs compare to other cities in Michigan and other types of senior care. It also provides a list of free resources beneficial to seniors looking for aging-related services.

Michigan doesn’t license assisted living facilities. However, assisted living facilities may require a Home for the Aged license if they provide room, board and supervised personal care to 21 or more residents aged 55 or older. The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Adult Foster Care and Homes for the Aged Licensing Division handles licensing and regulation in Chelsea.

• Michigan’s state sales tax rate is 6%, but that’s all residents pay. The state doesn’t allow counties or cities to collect local sales tax. Plus, groceries and prescription drugs are sales tax-exempt.
• Although Michigan isn’t considered very tax-friendly towards retirees compared to many other states, it’s mostly due to above-average property taxes. Seniors in assisted living generally don’t have to worry about property taxes. Income from Social Security benefits, Railroad Retirement benefits and military pensions are all exempt from state income taxes. Private retirement plan exemptions vary based on income and when a retiree was born. Tax breaks for seniors born before 1946 are the best.
• Seniors in Chelsea benefit from having a local hospital that’s well-rated. St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea Hospital was rated high performing in five adult procedures or conditions frequently seen in older adults, which included back surgery, hip replacement and knee replacement, hip fractures and pneumonia. There’s also a nationally ranked hospital about 15 miles away in Ann Arbor.
• Chelsea’s cost of living is higher than the national average by 4.5% and much higher than the state average by about 15%. However, health care costs mirror those of the state, and they’re lower than the national average by 14%.
• Residents may feel safer with Chelsea’s lower-than-average crime rates. Chelsea scores 12.4 for violent crime, which is much lower than the national average of 22.7 and lower than the state average of 25.3. It also has a lower property crime rate at 20.2 compared to 28.1 statewide and 35.4 nationally.
• Chelsea sees a lot of snow at an average of 40 inches per year, much higher than the national average of 28 inches. It has fewer sunny days on average with about 182 annually compared to the national average of 205 days. On the plus side, summers in Chelsea are temperate with an average high of 82 in July and a summer comfort index score of 9.2 out of 10.

According to the Genworth Cost of Care Survey, the average cost of assisted living in Chelsea is $5,590 per month. This amount is significantly higher than the state average by $1,390, and it’s also higher than the national average by $1,290.

Chelsea’s inflated cost of assisted living makes it higher than other nearby cities with cost data available. Its cost is nearly $2,000 higher than Flint’s at a difference of $1,921 per month. It’s also higher than Detroit’s by $840, Monroe’s by $490 and Lansing’s by $365. 

Seniors also may want to compare other types of care. Adult day health care is usually the least expensive option. Although this data isn’t available for Chelsea, the statewide average is $2,080. Those wanting care in the comfort of their homes actually pay less compared to assisted living in Chelsea. Homemaker services run $4,767 and home health aides have a median cost of $4,862 per month. Nursing homes are the highest-priced option at $9,429 monthly for semiprivate rooms or $10,950 for private rooms.

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 Michigan page.