Assisted Living Communities in Plainwell, Michigan

The 2024 Genworth Cost of Care Survey shows the median cost of assisted living in Plainwell hovers near $5,253 per month. Although this outpaces Michigan’s norm of $5,050, it falls a little below the national median of $5,350 and offers savings over costs in nearby cities. For example, in Niles, seniors pay about $6,400, and in Battle Creek, rates run even higher at approximately $11,072.

While many families use their own funds or personal assets to pay for assisted living, there are plenty of additional options to cover these costs. Some additional ways to finance assisted living costs include:

• Veterans Benefits
• Life Insurance Policy
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Reverse Mortgage

For more information about different ways to finance assisted living, visit our Assisted Living in Michigan page.

Assisted living facilities in Plainwell charge around $5,253 per month, which trends well below the costs of other senior care solutions in the region. For example, in-home care agencies charge about $850 more, and seniors pay roughly $6,292 for home health care. Additionally, nursing home care costs thousands of dollars more, at approximately $9,277 for semi-private accommodations.

In Michigan, assisted living facilities are licensed as Homes for the Aged if they provide room and board, assistance and supervised personal care to residents aged 55 or older. The Adult Foster Care and Homes for the Aged Licensing Division handles licensing and regulation of these facilities. This division operates under the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

• Michigan’s state sales tax rate is 6%, and the state doesn’t allow cities or counties to charge local sales taxes. Prescription drugs and groceries, two potentially large expenses for seniors, are tax-exempt.
• Michigan isn’t usually considered tax-friendly towards retirees, but that’s largely due to above-average property taxes, which seniors in assisted living don’t have to worry about. The state charges a flat income tax rate of 4.25%. While some cities add local income taxes, Plainwell isn’t one of them. Seniors in Plainwell don’t pay taxes on Social Security benefits or military pensions but might on most other retirement income, depending on when they were born and their income level. Seniors born before 1946 enjoy the largest exemptions.
• The overall cost of living in Plainwell is slightly lower than the state average but it’s significantly lower than the national average by nearly 14%. Health care and groceries, which can be larger expenses for seniors, are lower than state and national averages by about 5% and 7%, respectively.
• Plainwell’s crime rates are lower than the state and national averages. Property crimes, such as burglaries and auto thefts, are rated 26.4 on a scale from one to 100 with 100 meaning high crime. The state average is 28.1, and the national average is 35.4. Violent crimes, such as robberies and murders, are rated 19.6 in Plainwell, 25.3 statewide and 22.7 nationwide.
• Seniors who loathe hot, muggy summers benefit from Plainwell’s mild climate during the summer months. The average July high is only about 83 degrees, which is lower than average, and Plainwell rates an impressive 9.1 out of 10 on the comfort index in the summertime. Alternately, it averages 75 inches of snow annually, compared to the national average of 28 inches. However, residents in assisted living don’t have to worry about shoveling snow.