The Best Communities in San Diego County, CA

The California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) and Continuing Care Contracts Bureau monitors long-term care communities, including memory care facilities, to make sure they are in compliance with state rules and regulations. 

• The San Diego area has a high cost of living—60% higher than the national average. However, health care costs are 11% lower than the national average, which may be appealing to seniors and their families. 
• California does not tax social security benefits. Although sales taxes and property taxes are high throughout the state of California, those in long-term care facilities in San Diego County avoid these costs. 
• San Diego is also a recognized Dementia-Friendly community, which is defined as a city or town where those with dementia are supported and understood. 
• The weather in Southern California is also conducive to spending time outdoors, which means that seniors in memory care facilities can enjoy gardening or simply sitting outside in secured areas enjoying their surroundings. 
• Both the air quality and water quality in San Diego County are better than the national average, so seniors can feel confident that their environment contributes to their well-being. 

Memory care is typically provided in establishments licensed as assisted living facilities. The costs of memory care usually average around 20% – 30% higher than standard assisted living. Because no authoritative data exists for the costs of memory care, we estimated them by adding 25% to the costs of assisted living in the Genworth 2021 Cost of Care Survey.

Memory care costs in San Diego County average $6,844 per month, which is $321 higher than the California average of $6,563 and $1,219 higher than the national average of $5,625. Within the state of California, the lowest memory care costs are found in Visalia at $4,313, while the highest are found in Santa Rosa at $8,810. Costs are slightly lower in Sacramento, at $6,531 but rise to $7,899 in San Francisco. 

Memory care is more expensive in San Diego than all other types of care with the exception of nursing homes, where the monthly average is $9,384. In-home care averages $6,387, and home health care averages $6,473. Assisted living costs are slightly lower at $5,475. Adult day health care is the least expensive option at $2,058. 

In San Diego County, there are options for seniors who need financial assistance paying for Memory Care. For more information about other options, who qualifies, and how to apply, Memory Care in California page.

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

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

For more information about different ways to finance memory care, visit our Memory Care in California page.

San Diego County Memory Care Communities must adhere to the comprehensive set of state laws and regulations that all Memory Care Facilities in California are required to follow. Visit our Memory Care in California page for more information about these laws.