How much does a nursing home cost in Montana?
The median nursing home cost in Montana is $9,581 per month for a private room and $8,973 per month for a semi-private room, based on the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey released March 2026. That's roughly $114,975 per year for a private room.
Montana nursing home costs run 18% below the national median.
2026 Montana senior care costs at a glance
| Care type | Montana median/month | National median (CareScout 2025) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing home (private) | $9,581 | $10,798 | −11% |
| Nursing home (semi-private) | $8,973 | $9,581 | −6% |
| Memory care (est) | $7,600 | $7,750 | −2% |
| Assisted living | $6,075 | $6,200 | −2% |
| Non-medical caregiver (hourly) | $38 | $35 | +9% |
See your exact spend-down timeline for Montana
Enter your savings, income, and care type to see how long your money lasts before reaching Montana Medicaid asset limits.
Open the Montana calculator →Nursing home costs by Montana 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.
Montana Medicaid for nursing home care
Montana 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.
Montana 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 Montana
Montana 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.
Montana's 2026 penalty divisor is approximately $9,581 per month (~$315 per day). A $50,000 transfer that violates the look-back rule would create roughly a 157-day penalty period during which Montana 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 Montana elder law attorney
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys maintains a state-by-state directory of certified elder law attorneys.
Find a Montana attorney →What makes Montana different
Montana operates the Big Sky Waiver as its primary HCBS program for seniors, with approximately 2,800 enrollment slots administered by the Department of Public Health and Human Services Senior and Long Term Care Division. Level-of-care determinations are conducted by Mountain Pacific Quality Health, a third-party medical review organization — a structurally distinctive separation few states use. Montana also operates a unique three-tier assisted-living license system: Category A (basic care, resident self-medicates and needs help with no more than 3 ADLs), Category B (nursing services available, residents may be fully dependent in 4+ ADLs), and Category C (cognitive-impairment / dementia care with 24-hour awake staff). A facility's category endorsement determines which residents it can accept and retain.
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 Montana 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.