Memory Care Communities in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe’s median monthly fee of $7,268 is the costliest in New Mexico. The city’s seniors pay far above the state average of $5,623 and the national average, which is $2 more per month. Albuquerque gets closest to Santa Fe’s average, but it’s still much more affordable at $5,938. Las Cruces is even less costly, at $5,619. But it’s not as cheap as Farmington, where the average senior pays $4,999 — New Mexico’s lowest median fee.

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 median monthly fee for memory care in Santa Fe is $7,268 per month.

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 New Mexico page.

Memory care averages a monthly fee of $7,268, making it the costliest type of care recorded in New Mexico. In-home care and home health care both average a more affordable $6,378. However, families considering home care options will need to factor in other costs that don’t apply to memory care, such as utility bills. The least expensive option is assisted living. At $5,814, this type of care is cheaper but isn’t suitable for seniors with mid to late-stage dementia.

The Program Operations Bureau and the District Operations Bureau are responsible for regulating and licensing New Mexico’s memory care facilities. The former focuses on handling and issuing licenses and certifications for Medicaid and Medicare. The latter conducts surveys and unannounced inspections to determine if facilities are abiding by the terms of their licenses.

• Living in Santa Fe means being only minutes from the nearest hospital because the city has eight, including Presbyterian Santa Fe Medical Center. It specializes in many areas of medicine, including orthopedics and urology. St. Vincent Regional Medical Center is a Mayo Clinic Care Network member. This gives its patients access to world-leading experts in many specialties, such as cancer care.
• Santa Fe adults aged 60 and older can get low-cost door-to-door transportation. The service prioritizes medical appointment trips. However, seniors can get rides for any purpose, including hair salon/barbershop visits. There’s a suggested donation of $0.50 per ride. The service runs Mondays to Fridays, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Santa Fe’s overall cost of living index is 114, which is significantly higher than the state average of 88.4. However, high housing prices skew the results, so memory care residents aren’t likely to be as affected by costs. Health care is a little more affordable than New Mexico’s average, as is transportation.
• It’s not unusual for bigger cities to have higher rates of crime, and Santa Fe is no exception. Violent crime ranks at 24.2, above the national average of 22.7. Property crime is more common, ranking at 57.3, while the country’s norm is 35.4. Families worried about crime should know memory care facilities must have strict security to get a license.
• Santa Fe gets cold in winter, with temperatures dropping to 18 degrees F. Snowfall averages 26 inches, which is only 2 inches below the national average. However, temperatures soon pick up, with summer highs of 86 degrees F and 78 more sunny days than the U.S. average. 
• Families looking for a healthy environment for loved ones may find Santa Fe attractive. The air quality index of 72 exceeds the national average by 14 points, and the water quality index is 19 points above the norm. The city also has 79 more physicians per 100,000 people than the national average of 210.