Senior care in South Carolina: prices, Medicaid, and the inspection file
What South Carolina families pay for assisted living, nursing and home care, whether Medicaid helps, and how to check any facility's record - verified against official sources, town by town.
Assisted living in South Carolina runs a median $5,350 a month - ranked #41 of 50 states in the 2025 survey.
The U.S. medians for comparison: assisted living $6,200/month, nursing semi-private $9,581/month, home care $35/hour.
South Carolina families weighing home care against a community start from about $35 an hour - the crossover math is on every town page.
The honest South Carolina answer, verified against official sources: Limited - South Carolina Medicaid has no assisted living benefit: the Community Choices (CC) 1915(c) waiver funds services to keep people in their own home and uses a Community Residential Care Facility (South Carolina's license term for assisted living) only for short-term respite, not ongoing residence; low-income CRCF residents instead use the state-funded Optional State Supplementation (OSS) program, which SCDHHS states 'is not a Medicaid program', to help pay CRCF room and board. Eligibility is strict - income and asset limits apply, and there is typically a five-year look-back on gifts and transfers - so families planning a Medicaid path should talk to an elder law attorney early.
South Carolina: Medicaid, prices and the inspection file
| Question | South Carolina answer |
|---|---|
| Medicaid & assisted living | Limited - South Carolina Medicaid has no assisted living benefit: the Community Choices (CC) 1915(c) waiver funds services to keep people in their own home and uses a Community Residential Care Facility (South Carolina's license term for assisted living) only for short-term respite, not ongoing residence; low-income CRCF residents instead use the state-funded Optional State Supplementation (OSS) program, which SCDHHS states 'is not a Medicaid program', to help pay CRCF room and board. |
| State median, assisted living | $5,350/month (#41 of 50 states) |
| Licensing & inspection records | South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH), Bureau of Health Facilities Licensing |
South Carolina does not license anything called 'assisted living' - the license is 'Community Residential Care Facility' (CRCF), and DPH states these facilities 'may be referred to as assisted living provided they meet the above definition of community residential care facility'; the governing rule is Regulation 60-84, Standards For Licensing Community Residential Care Facilities.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published costs and state rules. It is not a care provider, placement agency, law firm or financial advisor - care and Medicaid decisions deserve professional advice for your family's situation.
What care costs in 2026
| Care type | 2025 national median | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| In-home care | $35/hour | Non-medical help at home - meals, bathing, companionship |
| Adult day care | $95/day | Daytime supervision and activities, evenings at home |
| Assisted living | $6,200/month | Housing plus daily-living help; care-level fees extra |
| Memory care | typically 20-40% above assisted living | Secured dementia care with higher staffing |
| Nursing home (semi-private) | $9,581/month | 24/7 skilled medical care |
| Nursing home (private room) | $355/day | Same care, private room |
Compare senior care options near South Carolina
These platforms show communities and home-care agencies near you with pricing guidance. Advisors are free to families - providers pay them, as they do this site.
Disclosure: this is an independent guide. If you connect with a provider through a link here, the platform may pay this site a referral fee. That fee never changes your price - and it never changes what the inspection records say.
Why only these platforms
Ask anyone who moved a parent twice: the expensive mistake was not the rent, it was choosing on price and lobby furniture. Staffing ratios, inspection history and what-happens-when-money-runs-out answers are the real price tags - and they are free to check.
Senior care referral is an industry with real abuse - phone-blast lead sellers and pay-to-play rankings. This guide only links platforms that show you multiple named communities and let you decline: never single-facility funnels. And no platform placement replaces the one check that matters - your state's own inspection records, linked on every page of this guide.
| Platform | What you get | Background |
|---|---|---|
| A Place for Mom | Free advisor + shortlist of communities near you | Largest U.S. senior living referral network |
| Caring.com | Directory with reviews and pricing guidance | Established senior care directory |
Common questions
Does long-term care insurance actually help?
If your parent bought a policy years ago, yes - claim it early, as most policies have elimination periods before benefits start. Buying new coverage in one's 80s is generally not realistic. Check old files: policies bought decades ago are routinely forgotten and unclaimed.
How do I check a facility's inspection record?
Every state has a licensing or certification agency that publishes inspection results and complaint histories - this guide links your state's agency on every page. Search every finalist before any deposit: violations, complaint patterns and how the operator responded tell you more than the tour.
Does Medicaid pay for assisted living?
It depends entirely on your state: 36 states cover some assisted living services through waivers, 9 cover them in limited settings, and 6 have no assisted living pathway at all. Even where covered, waivers typically pay for care services while the family handles room and board. This guide's Medicaid page gives your state's verified answer.
What is the difference between assisted living and a nursing home?
Assisted living provides housing plus help with daily activities - meals, medication, bathing - at a median $6,200 a month. Nursing homes provide 24/7 skilled medical care at a median $9,581 a month for a semi-private room. The dividing line is medical need: wound care, feeding tubes and ventilators are nursing-home territory.
How much does assisted living cost?
The U.S. median is $6,200 a month ($74,400 a year) per the 2025 CareScout Cost of Care Survey - before care-level fees, which add hundreds more at higher need levels. State medians vary widely; this guide shows your state's number and rank on every page.
How much does in-home care cost?
About $35 an hour at the 2025 national median - roughly $80,000 a year at 44 hours a week. Since the 2025 survey, non-medical caregivers are tracked as a single category, so quotes for 'homemaker' versus 'home health aide' services should no longer differ much for non-medical help.
Compare senior care options near South Carolina
These platforms show communities and home-care agencies near you with pricing guidance. Advisors are free to families - providers pay them, as they do this site.
Disclosure: this is an independent guide. If you connect with a provider through a link here, the platform may pay this site a referral fee. That fee never changes your price - and it never changes what the inspection records say.
Prices by city
Abbeville · Aiken · Allendale · Anderson · Andrews · Arcadia Lakes · Atlantic Beach · Awendaw · Aynor · Bamberg · Barnwell · Batesburg-Leesville · Beaufort · Belton · Bennettsville · Bethune · Bishopville · Blacksburg · Blackville · Blenheim · Bluffton · Blythewood · Bonneau · Bowman · Branchville · Briarcliffe Acres · Brunson · Burnettown · Calhoun Falls · Camden · Cameron · Campobello · Carlisle · Cayce · Central · Central Pacolet · Chapin · Charleston · Cheraw · Chesnee · Chester · Chesterfield · Clemson · Clinton · Clio · Clover · Columbia · Conway · Cope · Cordova · Cottageville · Coward · Cowpens · Cross Hill · Darlington · Denmark · Dillon · Donalds · Due West · Duncan · Easley · Eastover · Edgefield · Edisto Beach · Ehrhardt · Elgin · Elko · Elloree · Estill · Eutawville · Fairfax · Florence · Folly Beach · Forest Acres · Fort Lawn · Fort Mill · Fountain Inn · Furman · Gaffney · Gaston · Georgetown · Gifford · Gilbert · Goose Creek · Govan · Gray Court · Great Falls · Greeleyville · Greenville · Greenwood · Greer · Hampton · Hanahan · Hardeeville · Harleyville · Hartsville · Heath Springs · Hemingway · Hickory Grove · Hilda · Hilton Head Island · Hodges · Holly Hill · Hollywood · Honea Path · Inman · Irmo · Isle of Palms · Iva · Jackson · James Island · Jamestown · Jefferson · Jenkinsville · Johnsonville · Johnston · Jonesville · Kershaw · Kiawah Island · Kingstree · Kline · Lake City · Lake View · Lamar · Lancaster · Landrum · Lane · Latta · Laurens · Lexington · Liberty · Lincolnville · Little Mountain · Livingston · Lockhart · Lodge · Loris · Lowndesville · Lowrys · Luray · Lyman · Lynchburg · Manning · Marion · Mauldin · Mayesville · McBee · McClellanville · McColl · McConnells · McCormick · Meggett · Moncks Corner · Monetta · Mount Croghan · Mount Pleasant · Mullins · Myrtle Beach · Neeses · New Ellenton · Newberry · Nichols · Ninety Six · Norris · North · North Augusta · North Charleston · North Myrtle Beach · Norway · Olanta · Olar · Orangeburg · Pacolet · Pageland · Pamplico · Parksville · Patrick · Pawleys Island · Paxville · Peak · Pelion · Pelzer · Pendleton · Perry · Pickens · Pine Ridge · Pinewood · Plum Branch · Pomaria · Port Royal · Prosperity · Quinby · Ravenel · Reevesville · Reidville · Richburg · Ridge Spring · Ridgeland · Ridgeville · Ridgeway · Rock Hill · Rockville · Rowesville · Ruby · Salem · Salley · Saluda · Santee · Scotia · Scranton · Seabrook Island · Sellers · Seneca · Sharon · Silverstreet · Simpsonville · Six Mile · Smoaks · Smyrna · Snelling · Society Hill · South Congaree · Spartanburg · Springdale · Springfield · St. George · St. Matthews · St. Stephen · Starr · Stuckey · Sullivan's Island · Summerton · Summerville · Summit · Sumter · Surfside Beach · Swansea · Sycamore · Tatum · Tega Cay · Timmonsville · Travelers Rest · Trenton · Troy · Turbeville · Ulmer · Union · Van Wyck · Vance · Varnville · Wagener · Walhalla · Walterboro · Ward · Ware Shoals · Waterloo · Wellford · West Columbia · West Pelzer · West Union · Westminster · Whitmire · Williams · Williamston · Williston · Windsor · Winnsboro · Woodford · Woodruff · Yemassee · York