How much does a nursing home cost in Texas?
The median nursing home cost in Texas is $7,604 per month for a private room and $5,627 per month for a semi-private room, based on the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey released March 2026. That's roughly $91,250 per year for a private room.
Texas nursing home costs run 26% below the national median, making it one of the more affordable states for long-term care.
2026 Texas senior care costs at a glance
| Care type | Texas median/month | National median (CareScout 2025) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing home (private) | $7,604 | $10,798 | −30% |
| Nursing home (semi-private) | $5,627 | $9,581 | −41% |
| Memory care (est) | $7,100 | $7,750 | −8% |
| Assisted living | $5,666 | $6,200 | −9% |
| Non-medical caregiver (hourly) | $30 | $35 | −14% |
See your exact spend-down timeline for Texas
Enter your savings, income, and care type to see how long your money lasts before reaching Texas Medicaid asset limits.
Open the Texas calculator →Nursing home costs by Texas 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.
Texas Medicaid for nursing home care
Texas 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.
Texas Medicaid 2026 asset limits
Individual applicant: $2,000 in countable assets
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 Texas
Texas 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.
Texas's 2026 penalty divisor is approximately $7,339 per month (~$242 per day). A $50,000 transfer that violates the look-back rule would create roughly a 204-day penalty period during which Texas 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 Texas elder law attorney
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys maintains a state-by-state directory of certified elder law attorneys.
Find a Texas attorney →What makes Texas different
Texas Nursing Home Medicaid is an entitlement — anyone meeting financial and Nursing Facility Level of Care criteria receives benefits without a waitlist, even if STAR+PLUS HCBS waivers (the home-based alternative) have a multi-year interest list. Texas was one of the first states to implement Qualified Income Trusts (Miller Trusts) in the mid-1990s and remains an income-cap state — applicants with income above $2,982 per month must establish a Miller Trust before applying, since Texas does not offer a Medically Needy spend-down. The Personal Needs Allowance is $75 per month, among the highest in the South, and the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance for community spouses is set at the federal maximum of $4,066.50.
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 Texas 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.