How much does a nursing home cost in Kansas?
The median nursing home cost in Kansas is $9,064 per month for a private room and $8,669 per month for a semi-private room, based on the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey released March 2026. That's roughly $108,770 per year for a private room.
Kansas has some of the lowest nursing home costs in the country — 27% below the national median.
2026 Kansas senior care costs at a glance
| Care type | Kansas median/month | National median (CareScout 2025) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing home (private) | $9,064 | $10,798 | −16% |
| Nursing home (semi-private) | $8,669 | $9,581 | −10% |
| Memory care (est) | $7,450 | $7,750 | −4% |
| Assisted living | $5,975 | $6,200 | −4% |
| Non-medical caregiver (hourly) | $34 | $35 | −3% |
See your exact spend-down timeline for Kansas
Enter your savings, income, and care type to see how long your money lasts before reaching Kansas Medicaid asset limits.
Open the Kansas calculator →Nursing home costs by Kansas 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.
Kansas Medicaid for nursing home care
Kansas 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.
Kansas 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 Kansas
Kansas 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.
Kansas's 2026 penalty divisor is approximately $9,064 per month (~$298 per day). A $50,000 transfer that violates the look-back rule would create roughly a 165-day penalty period during which Kansas 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 Kansas elder law attorney
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys maintains a state-by-state directory of certified elder law attorneys.
Find a Kansas attorney →What makes Kansas different
Kansas runs all Medicaid as KanCare, a fully managed-care program administered through three contracted MCOs (Aetna, Sunflower, UnitedHealthcare) under the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS). The Frail Elderly (FE) 1915(c) Waiver delivers home-based long-term care for seniors who need nursing-facility level of care, with consumer-directed options that allow family members — including spouses in some cases — to be hired as paid attendants, broader than most state programs permit. Kansas distinguishes four separate residential license categories (Assisted Living Facility, Residential Health Care Facility, Home Plus for 5–12 residents, and Boarding Care Home), giving families more granular options when planning around Medicaid's nursing-home alternative.
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 Kansas 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.