Why do levels of care costs vary so much between communities?
Senior living communities use different pricing strategies to market to residents. Some will offer a low monthly rent, but have higher levels of care fees to make up the difference. Others will offer a care-inclusive model with one price no matter how much care the resident uses. Still others will include level one of care in the monthly rent, but charge additional levels. The pricing models don't matter per se, what matters most is your all-in monthly cost, what you get for that cost, and how much it will change over time. For instance, a community where care is separate may be cheaper initially, but as a resident's level of care increases then care separate model can become more expensive than a care-inclusive model, which offers a single inclusive price. To make sure that you're comparing apples-to-apples, always look at the levels of care and medication management fees in addition to the monthly rent.