Senior living and care in Santa Barbara

36 licensed assisted living homes are based in Santa Barbara, and 22 of them are small homes with six beds or fewer. Every one is listed on our Santa Barbara assisted living page.

Prices are not public for individual homes. The California median for a private one-bedroom in assisted living is about $7,000 a month (CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025). Small six-bed homes often cost less than large communities; ask each home for a written rate.

Santa Barbara has 7 Medicare-certified nursing homes, and 71% of rated homes have 4 or 5 stars overall from Medicare. Our nursing home page for Santa Barbara shows each home's ratings, inspection citations and federal fines.

Not through the Assisted Living Waiver: Santa Barbara County is not one of the 15 waiver counties. Medi-Cal can still pay for nursing home care and In-Home Supportive Services.

Every provider page on Later Stages shows its license or Medicare number. Assisted living and home care licenses can be checked on the California Department of Social Services Care Facility Search; nursing homes, home health and hospice on Medicare's Care Compare.

HICAP gives free Medicare counseling at (800) 434-0222. The long-term care ombudsman CRISISline, (800) 231-4024, takes complaints about care in nursing homes and assisted living.