Senior care costs in Fresno, at a glance
Quick answer: in the Fresno area, the median cost of assisted living is $6,250 a month, an in-home caregiver runs $36 an hour, and a nursing home costs $377 a day for a semi-private room or $479 a day for a private room. Those are the medians from the CareScout Cost of Care Survey for 2025, released in March 2026. It is the most recent survey available as of September 2026.
Fresno is cheaper than California as a whole for most kinds of care, and a bit higher than the national median. Here is how it lines up.
| Type of care (2025 median) | Fresno area | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assisted living, private one-bedroom | $6,250 a month | $7,000 a month | $6,200 a month |
| In-home caregiver (non-medical) | $36 an hour | $40 an hour | $35 an hour |
| In-home caregiver, 44 hours a week | $6,864 a month | $7,627 a month | $6,673 a month |
| Adult day health care | $94 a day | $94 a day | $95 a day |
| Nursing home, semi-private room | $377 a day ($11,452 a month) | $400 a day ($12,167 a month) | $315 a day ($9,581 a month) |
| Nursing home, private room | $479 a day ($14,570 a month) | $499 a day ($15,178 a month) | $355 a day ($10,798 a month) |
| Private duty nurse (LPN or RN) | $110 an hour | $110 an hour | $90 an hour |
Source: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, Fresno and California lookups and median cost data tables. Rates were collected from providers from July to November 2025 and are medians, so half of providers charge more and half charge less.
Compared with CareScout's prior survey, the Fresno-area median rose 20% for a private nursing home room, 12% for a semi-private room and 6% for in-home care, while assisted living dipped 5%.
How the rest of the Valley compares
| Area (2025 median) | Assisted living | In-home caregiver | Nursing home, semi-private | Nursing home, private |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno area (includes Madera) | $6,250 a month | $36 an hour | $377 a day | $479 a day |
| Visalia area (Tulare County) | $6,135 a month | $36 an hour | $345 a day | $350 a day |
| Hanford area (Kings County) | Not reported | Not reported | $385 a day | $402 a day |
| Merced area | $5,250 a month | $39 an hour | $379 a day | $400 a day |
Source: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 area lookups. CareScout reports adult day health care at $94 a day for each of these areas, the same as the state figure.
A few things the survey does not tell you
- Memory care is not in it. CareScout does not publish a separate memory care number. Locally, it usually costs more than regular assisted living because of secured doors, more staff and dementia training.
- Board and care homes are blended in. The assisted living figure counts small group homes and large communities together. In California, both are licensed as Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly.
- Home care has one category now. The 2025 survey rolled homemaker and home health aide rates into a single non-medical caregiver rate, so older "homemaker" numbers are not a direct match.
Tell us what's going on. We'll text you licensed homes that fit, with real prices, and tour them with you.
What we see locally
These are our own observations from placing families in Fresno, Clovis and nearby towns, not survey data. We keep them in line with what homes quote us.
| Type of care | What we typically see in Fresno |
|---|---|
| Board and care home | From about $3,700 a month |
| Assisted living | About $5,100 to $6,600 a month |
| Memory care | Often $7,000+ a month |
| In-home care (agency) | Around $30 to $36 an hour |
Our assisted living range sits right around the CareScout median. The in-home care range we see quoted runs a little under CareScout's $36 median, which is normal for a median that blends many agencies. For a deeper look at Fresno prices, see our Fresno senior living costs page.
What drives the price
- Level of care. Most places charge rent plus a care fee. The care fee rises as your mom needs more help with bathing, dressing, medications or getting around.
- The room. A shared room can save hundreds a month compared with a private one.
- Small home or big community. A board and care home with a handful of residents is often the lowest-cost way to get daily hands-on help. Big communities cost more but add dining rooms, activities and amenities.
- Memory care. Secured memory care usually adds to the monthly cost because of the staffing and safety it takes.
- Location. Clovis often runs a bit higher than Fresno, and smaller outlying towns often run lower.
How families pay
- Private pay. Most families use a mix of savings, Social Security, a pension and sometimes money from selling the house.
- Long-term care insurance. If your parent has a policy, read the benefit rules early. Many policies have a waiting period before they start paying.
- VA benefits. Some wartime veterans and surviving spouses qualify for VA Aid and Attendance, which can help pay for assisted living or in-home care.
- Medi-Cal. Medi-Cal pays for long-term nursing home care for people who qualify, and the Assisted Living Waiver can help with care costs in some assisted living homes. Starting January 1, 2026, California brought back a Medi-Cal asset limit of $130,000 for one person, plus $65,000 for each additional household member, and the home you live in is not counted (Justice in Aging).
- Medicare. Medicare does not pay for long-term assisted living or custodial care. It can cover a short skilled nursing stay after at least three days as a hospital inpatient: $0 a day for days 1 to 20, then $217 a day for days 21 to 100 in 2026 (CMS).
We walk through all of this on our paying for senior care page. Our help finding a home is free to families. The licensed home your parent moves into pays us a referral fee, and we always tell you that up front.
Sources and how to cite this page
Survey figures come from the CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, released March 2, 2026 (press release), with more than 25,000 rates collected from providers from July to November 2025. Fresno, Visalia, Hanford and Merced figures come from CareScout's online area lookups. Medicare and Medi-Cal figures are for 2026. The "what we see locally" table reflects CalValley Senior Living Advisors' own observations. Page last checked September 2026.
Updated September 2026 by Shaun and Nick, co-founders of CalValley Senior Living Advisors.