How much does a nursing home cost in Arkansas?
The median nursing home cost in Arkansas is $8,060 per month for a private room and $7,452 per month for a semi-private room, based on the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey released March 2026. That's roughly $96,725 per year for a private room.
Arkansas has some of the lowest nursing home costs in the country — approximately 29% below the national median.
2026 Arkansas senior care costs at a glance
| Care type | Arkansas median/month | National median (CareScout 2025) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing home (private) | $8,060 | $10,798 | −25% |
| Nursing home (semi-private) | $7,452 | $9,581 | −22% |
| Memory care (est) | $5,800 | $7,750 | −25% |
| Assisted living | $4,637 | $6,200 | −25% |
| Non-medical caregiver (hourly) | $25 | $35 | −29% |
See your exact spend-down timeline for Arkansas
Enter your savings, income, and care type to see how long your money lasts before reaching Arkansas Medicaid asset limits.
Open the Arkansas calculator →Nursing home costs by Arkansas city
Costs vary by metro area within the state. Urban markets typically run 10–25% above state medians, while rural areas can be 10–20% below.
City-level estimates are based on CareScout 2025 metro-area data. Individual facility costs vary 20–40% from these medians depending on amenities, staffing ratios, and room type.
Arkansas Medicaid for nursing home care
Arkansas Medicaid covers nursing home care for residents who meet both medical eligibility (need for skilled nursing care) and financial eligibility (limited assets and income). Understanding the rules before you need them can save your family hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Arkansas Medicaid 2026 asset limits
Individual applicant: $2,000 in countable assets (2026)
Married couple, one spouse applying: Community spouse may keep up to $162,660 under the federal Community Spouse Resource Allowance (2026 maximum), plus the home, one vehicle, and personal belongings
The 5-year look-back period in Arkansas
Arkansas Medicaid reviews all asset transfers made within 60 months (5 years) of your application date. Gifts to family, property transfers below market value, or large unexplained withdrawals trigger a penalty period that delays Medicaid eligibility — during which you must private-pay.
Arkansas's 2026 penalty divisor is approximately $8,060 per month (~$265 per day). A $50,000 transfer that violates the look-back rule would create roughly a 186-day penalty period during which Arkansas Medicaid will not cover care costs.
This is why elder law attorneys consistently advise families to begin Medicaid planning at least 5 years before nursing home care is needed.
Find a Arkansas elder law attorney
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys maintains a state-by-state directory of certified elder law attorneys.
Find a Arkansas attorney →What makes Arkansas different
Arkansas runs two parallel Medicaid waivers for seniors needing long-term care: ARChoices in Homecare for in-home services, and the Living Choices Assisted Living Waiver (~1,725 slots) specifically for residents in Level II assisted-living facilities. Arkansas classifies assisted-living facilities into Level I (no nursing services) and Level II (nursing services available) — and Medicaid waiver coverage flows only to Level II facilities, leaving Level I residents to pay privately. A distinctive eligibility quirk: both waivers require an intermediate (not skilled) nursing-facility level of care determined by the Office of Long Term Care, so applicants needing skilled care must instead use Nursing Home Medicaid — a separation few states maintain so strictly.
Sources: state Medicaid agency program documentation and CMS spousal-impoverishment standards. See our methodology page for the broader data sources used across this site.
How Arkansas compares to neighboring states
Cost differences across state lines can be substantial. Some families consider relocating for care, particularly if adult children live across a border.