Memory Care Communities in Saint Petersburg, Florida

Memory care in St. Petersburg is among the most affordable in Florida, bested only by Gainseville’s monthly average of $2,938 and Lakeland’s monthly average of $4,125. Average costs in most nearby cities are higher, such as Homosassa Springs, where monthly costs average $5,313. Monthly memory care expenses are even higher in The Villages at $6,510, the highest rate in the state.

Note: Residential memory care is usually offered in assisted living facilities, and in general, memory care rates tend to be 20-30% higher than assisted living rates. No national database currently tracks memory care costs in the United States, so we’ve estimated the monthly memory care costs listed below by adding 25% to the rates listed in Genworth’s 2021 Cost of Care Survey.

The average monthly fee in St. Petersburg is $4,188, well under the state median of $5,000 and even further below the average U.S. rate of $5,625.

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

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

For more information about different ways to finance memory care, visit our Memory Care in Florida page.

Adult day health care is the least expensive option for seniors in St. Petersburg, with average fees of $2,123. Assisted living is next at $3,350, considerably below the $4,767 required for in-home care and the $4,862 required for home health care. A semiprivate room in a nursing home facility is considerably more expensive at $8,927 monthly.

Memory care facilities in Florida are generally regulated, licensed and monitored as Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) by the Bureau of Health Facility Regulation, which sets specific disclosure, staffing and training requirements for dementia care. The Bureau conducts inspections prior to issuing a license and biennial inspections for license renewal. It carries out quarterly or biannual monitoring as each license requires.

• St. Petersburg has a robust healthcare infrastructure for a city its size, offering 16 hospitals or specialized healthcare facilities predominantly in the HCA and BayCare insurance networks. Many of these facilities are highly rated, such as St. Anthony’s Hospital, known for advanced medical technologies and extensive senior health services, and HCA Florida St. Petersburg Hospital, noted for specialties such as physical therapy and rehabilitation, infusion therapy, and minimally invasive surgery.
• The health cost index in St. Petersburg is 98.5, which is below the national average of 100, while the ratio of physicians to patients is slightly better than the U.S. average at 273 per 100,000. The city’s water quality index is slightly below the national average of 55, coming in at 50. On the other hand, the city’s air quality is substantially better at 68, exceeding the U.S. average by ten points.  
• Crime rates in the city are higher than the national average, particularly with regard to property crime, where published data indexes St. Petersburg at 71.5 out of 100, more than double the U.S. average of 35.4. It’s worth noting that the city’s averages are somewhat skewed by the statistics in a cluster of downtown neighborhoods and that seniors in memory care are less likely to encounter crime thanks to their well-staffed, secured and monitored facilities.
• Saint Petersburg’s climate is sunny, virtually snow-free and extremely comfortable in the spring and winter months. It can get hot, muggy and humid in the summer, but seniors in memory care facilities with air conditioning, environmental controls and the dedicated attention of in-house staff can continue to expect reasonable comfort.
• The overall cost of living is under both the Florida national averages at 98.6. All in all, St. Petersburg is one of Florida’s more affordable communities, particularly for housing and transportation. 
• St. Petersburg offers a range of convenient transportation options for seniors. The PSTA Access program provides special busing services for people with disabilities, while Neighborly Transportation offers no-cost EZRide transportation for medical appointments and group outings.