Hard to say. We called around town to pin down prices, and threw our hands up more than once: some communities require stints on wait lists before giving quotes. (Yes, you read that correctly.) It’s a niche industry clad in euphemistic lingo, in which talking money may be the biggest taboo. 

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There are two common types of communities: nonprofit continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), which carry hefty entrance fees ranging from $80,000 to $2 million, like Mary’s Woods in Lake Oswego ($314,900 entrance fee, plus $3,145 monthly for a one-bedroom), and for-profit communities, where move-in costs skew closer to typical rental agreements but rent can be steep, like at the Watermark at the Pearl (starting at $3,995 per month for a one-bedroom, plus a $2,500 reservation deposit and a onetime $15,000 membership fee). 

CCRCs’ hulking buy-ins can be substantially refundable upon moving out, with the refund amount typically declining based on length of residency (as at Mary’s Woods). Often, this investment covers your costs if you run out of money—as one CCRC representative noted, in the for-profit communities, “if you can’t pay, you don’t stay.”

Inherent in pricing is anticipating your future requirements: What might skilled nursing care cost? Or memory care? Most people choose based on community, proximity to family, pastoral surroundings, or city-center convenience. In terms of what it will run you, the short answer is: a lot.