How much does a nursing home cost in Virginia?
The median nursing home cost in Virginia is $11,680 per month for a private room and $10,250 per month for a semi-private room, based on the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey released March 2026. That's roughly $140,160 per year for a private room.
Virginia nursing home costs run approximately 1% below the national median. Northern Virginia (DC metro) runs significantly higher.
2026 Virginia senior care costs at a glance
| Care type | Virginia median/month | National median (CareScout 2025) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing home (private) | $11,680 | $10,798 | +8% |
| Nursing home (semi-private) | $10,250 | $9,581 | +7% |
| Memory care (est) | $8,700 | $7,750 | +12% |
| Assisted living | $6,945 | $6,200 | +12% |
| Non-medical caregiver (hourly) | $35 | $35 | +0% |
See your exact spend-down timeline for Virginia
Enter your savings, income, and care type to see how long your money lasts before reaching Virginia Medicaid asset limits.
Open the Virginia calculator →Nursing home costs by Virginia 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.
Virginia Medicaid for nursing home care
Virginia 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.
Virginia 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 Virginia
Virginia 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.
Virginia's 2026 penalty divisor is approximately $11,680 per month (~$384 per day). A $50,000 transfer that violates the look-back rule would create roughly a 128-day penalty period during which Virginia 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 Virginia elder law attorney
The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys maintains a state-by-state directory of certified elder law attorneys.
Find a Virginia attorney →What makes Virginia different
Virginia consolidated two large Medicaid managed-care programs into Cardinal Care Managed Care (CCMC) in October 2023, merging the previous Commonwealth Coordinated Care Plus and Medallion 4 programs. Virginia's Nursing Home Medicaid is delivered through CCMC alongside acute care, but with a specific quirk that affects long-term care planning: the CCC Plus Waiver operating under CCMC covers home-based HCBS but does NOT cover assisted living or other residential settings outside nursing facilities, so Medicaid-eligible families seeking residential care in non-NH settings rely on Virginia's Auxiliary Grant program — a separate state-funded cash supplement. Virginia is also a 209(b) state historically, and the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) handles institutional eligibility determinations.
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 Virginia 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.