Cost Calculator
Estimate the cost of a senior care transition.
A transparent estimate of monthly and total transition costs: care, moving and downsizing, home sale services, and home costs held. Every assumption is stated, and nothing here is a quote or a guarantee.
How to use it
-
Estimate
Adjust the inputs to match your family’s situation, or leave the defaults and get a starting picture.
-
Understand
Read the assumptions so you know exactly what each number includes and where the ranges come from.
-
Talk it through
A transition coordinator can turn the estimate into a plan with real quotes, timing, and options.
Your estimate
Estimated total transition cost
$0
Typical range: $0 to $0
over 12 months, including one-time costs
- Monthly care cost
- $0
- Monthly home costs held
- $0
- Estimated monthly total
- $0
- One-time costs Moving & downsizing + home sale services
- $0
This is a planning estimate based on the inputs and assumptions on this page, not a quote, an invoice, or a guarantee. Actual costs depend on the community, the level of care, the home, and the services you choose.
Assumptions
What each number includes, stated plainly.
-
Monthly care defaults are planning estimates based on published 2024 to 2025 median figures: assisted living at $6,370 per month in Arizona and $5,900 nationally, memory care at $8,000 in Arizona and $6,690 nationally. Residential care home costs vary widely by home and state and are not tracked in the same surveys, so the $6,000 and $5,500 defaults are planning estimates only.
-
If you enter your own monthly care cost, the calculator uses your number instead of the regional default. Actual community quotes depend on level of care, location, and what the monthly fee includes.
-
Moving and downsizing services are estimated at $2,500 to $7,500 as a one-time cost, depending on home size, the amount of belongings, estate sale or donation work, and distance.
-
Home sale and real estate services are estimated at $12,000 to $30,000 as a one-time cost, covering repairs, staging, marketing, and a typical commission. The real number depends heavily on the home value and condition.
-
Monthly home costs being held are what the family continues to pay while the home is not occupied or sold: mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and upkeep. Enter zero if the home is not held.
-
The time horizon is how many months the transition costs are being planned for. Care costs begin at move-in and continue monthly.
Paying for care
Paying for Care in Arizona
Monthly care costs vary by community and by level of care. The ranges below come from published industry cost surveys and are planning estimates, not quotes or guarantees. Your family's actual costs depend on the community, the level of care, and what the monthly fee includes.
Assisted living
$3,500 to $8,000 / month
Typical range in the Phoenix area, depending on the community and level of care.
Memory care
$4,500 to $7,000 / month
Typical range in the Phoenix area for secure, specialized dementia care.
Common ways families pay
- Private pay: monthly income and savings are the most common source, and many families combine them with other options.
- Long-term care insurance: if a policy exists, it may cover assisted living or memory care when the policy and the care needs align.
- VA Aid and Attendance: qualifying veterans and surviving spouses may receive monthly benefits, up to about $2,400 per month for a single veteran per 2026 VA rates.
- Arizona ALTCS: the state's Medicaid program can help those who qualify; the application typically takes 45 to 90 days.
What Medicare covers
Medicare generally does not cover assisted living or memory care. It may help with short-term skilled care in limited situations, but the ongoing monthly cost of a care community is typically paid from other sources.
Eligibility for every program depends on the person's situation, and no benefit is guaranteed. That is why it helps to check each option early, before the move.
Not sure which options fit your family?
A RAL Transitions coordinator can help you understand the payment options for your situation, what to prepare, and how the pieces fit together. No pressure and no obligation.
Estimates are a start. A plan is better.
Turn your estimate into a real plan: real community quotes, a realistic timeline, and a clear path for the home. Talk with a transition coordinator, no pressure and no obligation.