How much does a nursing home cost in Mississippi?
The median nursing home cost in Mississippi is $9,885 per month for a private room and $9,581 per month for a semi-private room, based on the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey released March 2026. That's roughly $118,625 per year for a private room.
Mississippi has some of the lowest nursing home costs in the country — 24% below the national median.
2026 Mississippi senior care costs at a glance
| Care type | Mississippi median/month | National median (CareScout 2025) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing home (private) | $9,885 | $10,798 | −8% |
| Nursing home (semi-private) | $9,581 | $9,581 | +0% |
| Memory care (est) | $5,450 | $7,750 | −30% |
| Assisted living | $4,369 | $6,200 | −30% |
| Non-medical caregiver (hourly) | $24 | $35 | −31% |
See your exact spend-down timeline for Mississippi
Enter your savings, income, and care type to see how long your money lasts before reaching Mississippi Medicaid asset limits.
Open the Mississippi calculator →Nursing home costs by Mississippi 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.
Mississippi Medicaid for nursing home care
Mississippi 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.
Mississippi Medicaid 2026 asset limits
Individual applicant: $4,000 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 Mississippi
Mississippi 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.
Mississippi's 2026 penalty divisor is approximately $9,430 per month (~$310 per day). A $50,000 transfer that violates the look-back rule would create roughly a 159-day penalty period during which Mississippi 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 Mississippi elder law attorney
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys maintains a state-by-state directory of certified elder law attorneys.
Find a Mississippi attorney →What makes Mississippi different
Mississippi Nursing Home Medicaid uses a state-specific $4,000 individual asset limit (double the federal $2,000 standard, matching only Nebraska). The state's Personal Needs Allowance of $44 per month is the lowest in the country — a meaningful constraint for residents trying to cover personal items not provided by the facility. Mississippi's Division of Medicaid operates the Assisted Living Waiver specifically for residents of licensed Personal Care Home–Assisted Living (PCH-AL) facilities, with three separate regional waitlists meaning wait times vary significantly by location. Mississippi is a non-expansion state and does not offer a Medically Needy spend-down pathway for long-term care — Income Trusts are the only option for applicants over $2,982 per month.
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 Mississippi 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.