12th
OVERALL STATE RANK
Overall state ranking out of 50
State scorecard
How we determine rankings
Our 2023 state ranking for assisted living uses A Place for Mom’s proprietary data collected from our community partners. First, we sorted through our metrics and grouped them into three pillars that are key in a quality assisted living experience. We weighted these pillars differently based on insights from our senior living experts. Then, we used these categories and their weighting to determine how each state ranks.
Top ranked South Carolina cities for assisted living overall
Brightwater has been quite helpful. My mother's memory care room is lovely. The staff is incredibly compassionate and sensitive to all of her wants and difficulties. Their eating room is appealing, and the...
I have been here 5 1/2 months and I like it here. A couple of comments: 1. When contribution flex dollars to the employee appreciation fund, make a dollar for dollar, not a .30 on a dollar. 2. Have a...
I am thoroughly happy as a member of this community. The location is wonderful and awe enjoy excellent friendships. We are more than comfortable with excellent amenities.
Summit Hills has been wonderful! They are a very sweet community and the freedom they give my parents and the assurance of them being well taken care of is priceless. They have welcomed our whole family and...
The nursing staff know my relative's personal care needs, treat her as an individual, and are kind and caring. Since her arrival she's had a medical & cognitive decline and they have adapted their...
I would definitely recommend Eden Terrace to anyone looking for a place like this. It's lovely and wonderful. I like everything about it. In fact, I wouldn't mind living there myself one day.
The main reason we chose this facility over others that we looked at was because of the layout of the common room and the dining area as well. Oaks at Chanticleer was great with their communication. They...
They do care about their residents as if they were their own family in my opinion, And I am very thankful to have found this place for my Mom! The staff is extremely friendly and very personal. The...
Our family had an in person tour with The Parker and based on the tour experience solely, we would give them 5 out of 5. I liked their step-up care program and the way they discussed how the residents might...
I do not reside in SC yet had seen the facility via a face time app. No complaints from family that live there. From what I am able to tell, here is the following. And thank you very much for assisting...
My loved one is currently a resident at Atria Forest Lake. We chose the Atria for many reasons. The staff is incredible and they truly care about the residents and their well being. It feels like your are...
We of course love everything about Merrill Gardens at Columbia. The place itself and all the things they offer the best senior home in Columbia and surroundings in S.C. Thank you so much for helping me get...
All of the interactions we had with the staff were very positive, they know all the residents by name and they were very caring towards our loved one. Even though our loved one did not participate in the...
My family member has been at Ashley Gardens for a year and a half, and I have been very pleased with the care he has received. Everyone from the director to the chef knows the residents by name and always...
My loved one was previously a resident at Oaks at Charleston and everything was great for him at this facility. It was a good experience. The staff was loving and caring. Communication with the family was...
The average cost of assisted living in South Carolina is $4,300 a month, or $51,600 a year, according to A Place for Mom’s most recent internal data from our network of partner communities.[01]
While assisted living costs are inexpensive across the board in South Carolina, they do vary significantly, ranging from about $2,900 to $5,700, depending on a community’s pricing structure, available amenities, and location. Luxury communities, and those in larger cities, often cost more than small, homelike communities or those in rural areas.
The prices listed above are comprehensive totals. They cover a senior’s care needs, nutritious meals and housekeeping services to assistance with activities of daily living, like dressing and bathing. Transportation, medication management services, and scheduled social events are also included in these costs.
Eligible South Carolina seniors may qualify for Medicaid, Medicare, or other public pay benefits to help cover the costs of assisted living.
Average monthly costs
South Carolina
US National average
Average monthly costs
South Carolina
North Carolina
Georgia
Virginia
West Virginia
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Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.
Determining your family’s budget and understanding the financial resources available to your loved one is a good first step to take when seeking assisted living. Your family may be able to access a variety of benefits to help cover South Carolina assisted living costs — even more so if you plan ahead. Below, we’ll explore a variety of public and private payment options available to South Carolina seniors. For further details about how families pay for senior care, explore our complete guide to paying for long-term care.
Private pay resources, like pensions, retirement accounts, and assets, generally cover the majority of assisted living costs.
If your loved one owns a home, they may consider selling it to pay for assisted living expenses in South Carolina.
Equity from a reverse mortgage can free up funds for assisted living in South Carolina.
Health savings accounts (HSAs)
Health savings accounts may cover the cost of some medically necessary services and supplies in an assisted living community in South Carolina.
Selling or surrendering a life insurance policy can help cover the cost of assisted living in South Carolina.
Social Security benefits for assisted living
Social Security benefits can help offset assisted living costs for South Carolina seniors.
The Board of Health and Environmental Control, Division of Health Licensing is responsible for licensing assisted living communities — also called community residential care facilities — in South Carolina. These communities are designed to provide personal care and room and board to two or more seniors who are unrelated to the facility owner. They support residents’ needs and preferences while maximizing independence and autonomy.[02]
There are several requirements the state monitors when licensing assisted living communities. They include:[02]
Resident admission policies. Communities are designed to be able to manage resident care needs, so seniors requiring high-level continuous care can’t be admitted. This includes people with unstable medical conditions, those who require tube feeding, and those who require “sterile care,” such as Tracheostomy care, sterile wound redressing, or catheter care.
Medication management policies. Medications can be self-administered with written notice from a physician. Trained staff members can administer prescription medications, but can only assist with injections related to diabetes or anaphylactic shock.
Service planning. Residents must be assessed by a member of the direct care staff within 72 hours of move-in, at which point the facility will determine if they’re adequately able to address the resident’s care needs and will compose an individualized care plan.
All assisted living facilities in South Carolina must employ the following staff members:[03]
Communities licensed to provide care to Medicaid-eligible residents must also establish a contract with a licensed nurse who visits at least one day a week to develop and monitor care plans for residents enrolled in the Medicaid State Plan.
Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.
We developed a system to rate each state on how easy — or difficult — it is to find important assisted living records and reports, and we compiled tips to help you in your search.
States with the most transparent records allow you to look up important information about each assisted living facility online, including inspections, complaints, survey results, violations, capacity, and whether the facility accepts Medicaid.
Public access to assisted living records and reports for the state of South Carolina is exceptional. Here are some key findings that informed this rating:
We developed a standard methodology for state data collection and evaluation, and we based our rating primarily on the objective, state-specific accessibility criteria outlined in these questions:
1. Are licensed assisted living communities listed online in any form? Yes
2. If Yes to #1, is the information updated frequently? Yes
3. If Yes to #1, is the list of licensed communities searchable? No
4. Does the state post inspections, complaints, survey results, or violations online? No
5. If Yes to #4, is the information updated frequently (within 90 days)? No
6. If Yes to #2 and #4, is the enforcement information included in the same place as licensed communities? No
7. If Yes to #4 and No to #6, are violations and inspections searchable at all? Yes
8. Is information about special licensing for care shown? Yes
9. Is capacity shown? Yes
10. Are payment types shown (e.g., Medicaid, private pay)? No
11. Is the administrator/contact name shown? Yes
12. Can the state fine a facility? Yes
13. What is the frequency of inspections? Every 24 months
14. Does the website include pricing of facilities? No
A Place for Mom. (2022). A Place for Mom Proprietary Data.
Board of Health and Environmental Control. (2010, June 25). State register, Regulation number 61-84: Standards for Licensing Community Residential Care Facilities.
South Carolina Community Residential Care Facilities Committee. (2013, January 4). Assisted living and community residential care facilities, A practical guide for consumers.
Overview of assisted living in SC
Find assisted living near you
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical, legal or financial advice or create a professional relationship between A Place for Mom and the reader. Always seek the advice of your health care provider, attorney or financial advisor with respect to any particular matter, and do not act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything you have read on this site. Links to third-party websites are only for the convenience of the reader; A Place for Mom does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
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