How Much Does it Cost to Live in a Retirement Home?

How Much Does it Cost to Live in a Retirement Home?

For those exploring relocation to a retirement setting, one of the first questions asked is: how much does it cost to live in a retirement home? The short answer is, it varies. The long answer though includes an explanation of why it varies and what retirement living is and isn't. 

Retirement homes/residences or communities, for the most part, are privately owned and operated settings for seniors that offer minimal to moderate care for a set monthly fee. They provide a safe environment that allows seniors to have privacy while also having the ability to participate in social activities, have their meals prepared, housekeeping done, and obtain some care if required. They usually have a private space that they are able to furnish with their own items and are free to come and go. Some homes allow residents to bring their pets; some have available parking for residents who still drive a car. There is variation from province to province. Some call retirement homes ‘lodges’, some call them personal care homes. Some provinces have legislation governing them, others do not. And some have the availability of government-subsidized retirement homes or lodges, though often there are not as many of them as there are of the private ones; the privately-owned ones are far more common in Canada and provide the greatest variety, often with the most amenities.

That being said, by and large, these homes are not affordable for those who only receive a basic pension and have no additional assets. There are no standardized rates for these homes and even in the provinces with legislation over them, monthly rates and their inclusions are at the discretion of the owner/operator.

Homes vary in terms of ownership – there are a few very large companies that own a large number of homes, often in multiple provinces, some smaller or mid-size companies that are province-specific, and some homes owned by independent operators.

In general, homes in rural communities and those owned by small businesses or independents cost less than those owned by large corporations or those in main city centres. Accommodation type will also factor into pricing. Those who want a 2-bedroom will pay more than someone who only requires a bachelor suite. Included amenities will influence pricing as well. Keep in mind that a 2nd person in a suite will likely be subject to an extra charge.

To locate retirement homes, or any level of care in your community, you can visit our two housing databases; one is our member database with unbiased information on more than a dozen levels of care across Canada; the other is our sponsored database where homes provide information, photos, and videos to introduce consumers to their property. This has a limited scope because homes pay to be part of this data set, whereas our member database contains listings for all the homes across Canada that we can locate, regardless of any monetary or information contribution by the owner. You can locate our search page here.

As you may have gathered, there is no 'average cost' monthly cost of a retirement home in Canada. It varies by province, city, area, company, amenities and so many other factors. For those looking for more general information in terms of the pricing of all retirement homes across Canada, we have created a chart below to provide the range we have located in our research. Please note, these figures meant to provide an approximate guide to rates per province. For specifics, because many homes will not provide pricing information on their websites, you may have to contact a home directly and request a brochure or speak with the Marketing Manager for exact pricing.

For information on questions to ask while touring retirement homes, please consider downloading our Visiting Tips document available in our online store.

Retirement Residence Price Range Across Canada

Province

Minimum Cost per Year/PP

Maximum Cost per Year/PP

Alberta

$12,000

$65,000

British Columbia

$13,000

$70,000

Manitoba

$15,000

$42,000

New Brunswick

$9,600

$54,000

Newfoundland

$20,100

$50,000

Northwest Territories

N/A

N/A

Nova Scotia

$23,000

$72,000

Nunavut

N/A

N/A

Ontario

$14,000

$132,000

Prince Edward Island

$7,200

$63,000

Quebec

$6,000

$42,000

Saskatchewan

$16,600

$60,000

Yukon

N/A

N/A

Disclaimer: These figures are directional only and should not be used for planning or budgeting.

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If you are looking for assistance locating a home or resources for your loved one, you can reach out to our consulting team at consulting@seniorcareaccess.com or visit our consulting page for more information. Our Discover 3 program offers decision-makers and seniors, an opportunity to have a professional consultant identify 3 housing solutions based on their needs. If you need more information on care options for seniors, retirement community, or long-term care visiting tips and/or if you are interested in organizing your loved one’s information using our Care Planning Workbook, visit our publications page for a list of options and downloads.
For additional questions, feel free to contact us at connect@seniorcareaccess.com.
SeniorCareAccess.com is Canada’s largest unbiased seniors’ housing database, offering consulting services, and both seniors’ service and housing directories for professionals, seniors, and their families.

 

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