How much does a nursing home cost in Utah?
The median nursing home cost in Utah is $10,646 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 $127,750 per year for a private room.
Utah nursing home costs run 20% below the national median.
2026 Utah senior care costs at a glance
| Care type | Utah median/month | National median (CareScout 2025) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing home (private) | $10,646 | $10,798 | −1% |
| Nursing home (semi-private) | $8,669 | $9,581 | −10% |
| Memory care (est) | $6,850 | $7,750 | −12% |
| Assisted living | $5,475 | $6,200 | −12% |
| Non-medical caregiver (hourly) | $39 | $35 | +11% |
See your exact spend-down timeline for Utah
Enter your savings, income, and care type to see how long your money lasts before reaching Utah Medicaid asset limits.
Open the Utah calculator →Nursing home costs by Utah 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.
Utah Medicaid for nursing home care
Utah 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.
Utah 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 Utah
Utah 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.
Utah's 2026 penalty divisor is approximately $10,646 per month (~$350 per day). A $50,000 transfer that violates the look-back rule would create roughly a 141-day penalty period during which Utah 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 Utah elder law attorney
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys maintains a state-by-state directory of certified elder law attorneys.
Find a Utah attorney →What makes Utah different
Utah operates two distinct Medicaid waivers serving very different populations. The Aging Waiver provides home-based services for seniors living in their own homes. The New Choices Waiver (NCW) is uniquely a transition program — applicants generally must have lived in a nursing home for at least 90 days, or in an assisted-living or Type N Small Health Care Facility for at least 365 days, before they can apply. NCW is capped at approximately 2,500 slots and is designed specifically to move residents out of institutional settings into community-based care. Utah licenses assisted-living facilities as Type I (non-medical) and Type II (with health services), plus a Type N category for facilities serving three or fewer residents — a structural distinction unique to Utah's licensing system.
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 Utah 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.