How much does memory care cost in Seattle?

For the Seattle communities in the table above, the only figure we could verify is the posted starting rent for a private apartment. Those operator pages do not list a care-level fee or a move-in fee, so we couldn't verify those amounts in Seattle.

Nearby, two Bellevue communities do post a starting care fee on top of memory care rent, checked 10/28/2026:

• The Watermark at Bellevue posts memory care starting rent of $7,725 a month, and says memory care level fees start at $2,100 a month.
• The Gardens at Town Square posts a private studio starting rent of $3,985 a month, and says monthly care plans start at $5,010.

Cogir of Bothell posts a memory care studio starting rent of $5,000 a month and states that care fees are extra, without posting the care-fee amount. We couldn't verify that amount.

Washington law requires the facility to put charges in writing before move-in, and to give advance written notice of changes. RCW 70.129.030(4) says, in part: “Except in emergencies, thirty days' advance notice must be given prior to the change.” (RCW 70.129.030.) You can also ask for the state services form, DSHS 10-351. How to request prices in writing. More on typical add-ons is in what rent includes and what costs extra.

No. Medicare does not pay for the long-term residential cost of memory care. On its long-term care coverage page, Medicare says: “Medicare doesn’t pay for long-term care.” It also says: “Since most long-term care is non-medical, Medicare and most health insurance, including Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap), don’t pay for long-term care services, including care in a nursing home or in the community.” And: “You pay all costs for non-covered services, including most long-term care.” The same page notes that non-medical long-term care can be provided “at home, in the community, in an assisted living facility, or in a nursing home.” (Medicare.gov, long-term care coverage.)

Medicare may still cover a doctor visit, a hospital stay, or other medical care a person receives while living in memory care, the same way it would if they lived at home. We couldn't verify any Medicare payment toward memory care rent or the personal-care part of the monthly bill.

Only in a community that has a Medicaid contract, and only if the person meets Washington’s rules. DSHS describes the Specialized Dementia Care Program this way: “DSHS pays for the person to receive a package of specialized dementia care services in a contracted Assisted Living Facility.” To be eligible, DSHS says the person must be “Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another irreversible dementia such as vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, Pick’s disease, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,” be “Receiving or eligible for Medicaid,” and be “Assessed by a DSHS assigned case manager and found to have the need for specialized dementia care.” (DSHS, Specialized Dementia Care Program.)

Of Seattle's 25 certified memory care communities, 3 have a Medicaid contract in the October 2026 DSHS license record. 2 of those contracts list Specialized Dementia Care: Greenlake Emerald City, Vineyard Park at Queen Anne Manor. The Summit At First Hill (contract listed as Enhanced Adult Residential Care, Assisted Living SOW, Adult Residential Care) has a Medicaid contract that does not list Specialized Dementia Care in that record. The other 22 certified Seattle communities have no Medicaid contract, so they take private pay only. If savings run out at a private-pay-only community, a resident may need to move. Ask how many Medicaid spots a contracted community actually has; we couldn't verify wait lists or open bed counts.

Memory care is a secured setting for people with dementia, usually inside a licensed assisted living building, with staff and a layout meant for that care. Assisted living is the broader license: a private apartment with meals and help with daily tasks. In Washington, a community that operates a memory care unit must be certified under RCW 18.20.540. Our comparison of assisted living, memory care, and adult family homes walks through the differences, including adult family homes, which we have not yet collected prices for.

Ask for the full list of charges in writing, including the care-level fee, any move-in or community fee, and how often care levels are reassessed. Ask whether staff in the memory care unit are awake overnight, and request the DSHS 10-351 services form and the community's certification document. Then read the latest DSHS inspection and complaint reports on the community's VettedReceipts page before you go. Our tour checklist has the full list of questions.

All Seattle assisted living · Memory care cost in Washington · Assisted living cost in Washington · Care types compared · What rent includes · Tour questions · Get prices in writing