The 10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Rapid City, SD for 2023

With a pleasant climate and the beautiful Black Hills surrounding it, the city of Rapid City, SD, has much to appeal to active seniors. Of the 76,184 people who live in the community, 18.3% are aged 65 and older, which means there are around 14,000 older adults in the city. The city also has a lower-than-average cost of living, which adds to its benefits for older adults.

Seniors who need a little extra help with daily living tasks but don’t need extensive medical or nursing care may choose assisted living communities. The cost of these facilities is another perk of living in Rapid City. According to the 2021 Genworth Cost of Care Survey, the average assisted living monthly cost is $3,914 a month. In fact, it’s the most affordable senior care option in the city and much more affordable than the national average.

This guide provides information about local assisted living costs and options for Rapid City residents. It also provides a list of programs that help local seniors and an overview of the different ways to pay for assisted living care.

The South Dakota Department of Health, Office of Health Facilities Licensure & Certification, is responsible for licensing assisted living facilities in the state. The office assists in updating state rules for senior care facilities to ensure older adults receive quality care. It also handles complaints about facilities that aren’t meeting the regulations set forth in the certification documentation.

• On a 100-point scale measuring cost of living, Rapid City scores 92.9. Though this is higher than South Dakota as a whole, it’s just below average compared to the United States. Transportation costs, in particular, are low compared to the rest of the country.
• Seniors retiring in Rapid City enjoy a pleasant climate year-round. On a 10-point scale indicating how comfortable the weather is, the community scores an extremely high 9.1. Temperatures rarely get above 80, and extremely cold temperatures are uncommon as well. The city has all four seasons, but it rarely experiences high humidity in the summer.
• South Dakota has no state income tax, which means retirement income, including Social Security, is tax-free. The state also boasts low sales tax rates. These combine to make it an affordable place for many seniors to retire.
• RapidRide has a fixed-route transportation system that makes it easier for older adults to get around town. It also has a Dial-A-Ride door-to-door transit service that provides accessible vehicles for older adults who may not be able to make it to the RapidRide stops or who need assistance to get into or out of the vehicles.
• Crime rates are a bit higher in Rapid City than in other parts of the state or nation. Seniors who reside in assisted living facilities can feel secure because of security and safety protocols in these facilities, including cameras, locking doors and monitoring.

Assisted living costs in Rapid City will vary depending on the types of services offered and where a community is located within the city. The average cost based on 2021 data is $3,914 a month.

Though Rapid City’s average cost for assisted living is lower than the average in the nation of $4,500, it has one of the higher averages in the geographic area. Compared to $3,914 a month in Rapid City, seniors in the state pay even less at $3,350. In Sioux Falls on the opposite end of the state, averages drop even more to $2,910 a month. In Bismark, North Dakota, the average is $3,710 a month. To the south in Grand Island, Nebraska, the average is $2,906 a month.

In Rapid City, seniors can expect to pay around $3,914 a month for assisted living. In-home care and home health care, which adds medical care to the basic homemaking tasks of in-home care, are over $2,000 a month higher. Both types of care cost $6,101 on average. Nursing home care is even more at $7,604 for a semiprivate room. Even adult day health care is higher than assisted living, averaging $4,333.

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 South Dakota page.