How much does a nursing home cost in Colorado?
The median nursing home cost in Colorado is $12,182 per month for a private room and $10,159 per month for a semi-private room, based on the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey released March 2026. That's roughly $146,183 per year for a private room.
Colorado costs run near the national median, with Boulder and Denver metro pulling the average higher.
2026 Colorado senior care costs at a glance
| Care type | Colorado median/month | National median (CareScout 2025) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing home (private) | $12,182 | $10,798 | +13% |
| Nursing home (semi-private) | $10,159 | $9,581 | +6% |
| Memory care (est) | $8,250 | $7,750 | +6% |
| Assisted living | $6,584 | $6,200 | +6% |
| Non-medical caregiver (hourly) | $42 | $35 | +20% |
See your exact spend-down timeline for Colorado
Enter your savings, income, and care type to see how long your money lasts before reaching Colorado Medicaid asset limits.
Open the Colorado calculator →Nursing home costs by Colorado 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.
Colorado Medicaid for nursing home care
Colorado 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.
Colorado 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 Colorado
Colorado 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.
Colorado's 2026 penalty divisor is approximately $12,182 per month (~$401 per day). A $50,000 transfer that violates the look-back rule would create roughly a 123-day penalty period during which Colorado 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 Colorado elder law attorney
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys maintains a state-by-state directory of certified elder law attorneys.
Find a Colorado attorney →What makes Colorado different
Colorado Medicaid is branded Health First Colorado, administered by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). Colorado launched its own Community First Choice (CFC) state-plan benefit on July 1, 2025, transitioning in-home services out of the Elderly, Blind, and Disabled (EBD) Waiver and into an entitlement program with no waitlist — a major structural change for in-home Medicaid recipients. Nursing-home services and waiver-based facility care continue to flow through the EBD Waiver, which remains waitlisted. Colorado's Medicaid-certified residential facilities — distinct from the broader Assisted Living Residence license category — are called Alternative Care Facilities (ACFs) and are the only setting in which the EBD waiver pays for residential personal care.
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 Colorado 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.