A clear, current breakdown of assisted living costs across the Jacksonville metro in 2026 — the Beaches, Mandarin, Orange Park, and St. Johns County — plus the Medicaid and VA programs that lower the bill.
By Linda Alvarez, CSA · January 14, 2026
In the Jacksonville metro, assisted living typically runs $3,200–$5,500 a month in 2026. Facilities are licensed as Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) under Florida Statutes Chapter 429, Part I and Florida Administrative Code Rule 59A-36. Memory care runs $4,500–$6,800 a month, skilled nursing (a nursing home) $8,000–$11,000 for a private room, in-home care roughly $26–$34 an hour, and adult day care $65–$95 a day.
Geography matters within the metro. Ponte Vedra Beach and the Beaches communities (Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach) tend to price toward the higher end of the assisted living range because of coastal land costs and newer construction. Mandarin and San Jose, in the southern part of Duval County, sit near the metro median. Orange Park and Fleming Island in Clay County, and communities in St. Johns County near St. Augustine, often run somewhat lower than the Beaches for comparable care, though St. Johns County has been climbing as new communities open.
A base assisted living monthly rate usually covers housing, three meals, 24-hour supervision, housekeeping, laundry, and activities. What gets billed on top — medication administration above a basic tier, two-person transfers, incontinence supplies, and one-on-one aide time — is where the quoted price and the real monthly bill diverge. AHCA rules under Rule 59A-36, F.A.C. require facilities to disclose their rate schedule and care-tier pricing in writing before admission. Always get a full itemized rate sheet and ask specifically what triggers a move to a higher care level.
Florida also distinguishes a standard ALF license from one with an Extended Congregate Care (ECC) or Limited Nursing Services (LNS) endorsement, which allows the facility to keep residents with higher acuity needs. If your parent uses a wheelchair, needs help with more than one or two activities of daily living, or has a nursing-level need, confirm the facility carries the right endorsement — a base ALF license alone may not cover it.
The biggest cost levers in Jacksonville are shared-room pricing, choosing a smaller residential ALF over a large campus, right-sizing the care level to current need, and exploring Florida's Medicaid long-term care waiver. The Florida Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program (SMMC LTC) can cover personal care and support services in a participating assisted living setting for income- and asset-qualifying seniors. SMMC LTC is delivered through managed care plans including Sunshine Health, Humana, Simply Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Aetna Better Health, Florida Community Care, and Molina.
Veterans and surviving spouses should also evaluate VA Aid & Attendance, which can add meaningfully toward care costs. Jacksonville-area veterans are served by the Jacksonville VA Outpatient Clinic, part of the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System. For free local benefits help, families across Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, and Baker counties can call ElderSource, the Area Agency on Aging for Northeast Florida, at 1-888-242-4464 (local (904) 391-6699).
Free, no-pressure call. We work for families, not facilities.