To compare assisted living communities side by side, put the same facts for each into one table. Include the total monthly cost at today's and the next likely level of care, one-time fees, what the base rate includes and staffing by shift. Add recent inspection results, contract terms and your parent's reaction. First rule out any community that fails on care or budget, then score the rest.
Key facts
- Oregon requires a community to give its Uniform Disclosure Statement, a form the state designs, to each person who asks for information, and a Consumer Summary Statement specific to that community before move-in. (Oregon Administrative Rules, n.d.)
- Minnesota requires communities to give people thinking of moving in a uniform checklist of services before a contract is signed, listing the services the community offers and those its license allows but it does not provide. (NCAL, 2026)
- Minnesota's Assisted Living Report Card combines resident and family surveys with inspection data. (University of Minnesota, 2024)
- Florida requires communities to offer people thinking of moving in a written statement covering the monthly charge and what it includes, personal care and nursing services and their extra costs, food service, transportation and social activities. (NCAL, 2025)
After three tours, the details start to merge. Was the bigger apartment at the second place or the third? Which one had the nurse on site overnight? Which quote included medication help? Without one table, the community with the nicest lobby or the most persistent sales director tends to win.
This post shows what goes in the table and where to get each fact. It also covers how to use your state's standard disclosure forms and how to decide when the family disagrees. The scoring weights are in our tour guide. This post is about collecting facts you can score fairly.
Why do side-by-side comparisons go wrong?
They usually go wrong because the facts you collect aren't the same kind of fact from place to place. Watch for four mismatches:
- Different apartments. A studio quote from one community sits next to a one-bedroom quote from another.
- Different care assumptions. One quote includes your parent's likely care level. Another is rent only, and care will be priced after the assessment.
- Brochure versus paper. One community gave you a fee schedule, and another gave you a spoken range.
- Memory. The first community you toured is fuzzy by the time you see the third.
The fix is to decide the rows before the first tour and fill them the same way for everyone. Before the first call, pick the apartment type and the care level you're comparing at. Then tell every community the same thing.
What goes in the comparison table?
Use the same rows for every community. Note where each fact came from, so you know which numbers are firm.
| Row | What to write | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| License and type | License type and number, any specialty license | Community, then the state licensing agency's website |
| Can meet needs now | Yes or no, with any exceptions | Your written list of needs, answered by the director or nurse |
| Can meet needs later | Highest level of care; when a resident must move | Agreement and disclosure documents |
| Monthly cost today | Rent plus care charge at the likely starting level | Written fee schedule and assessment |
| Monthly cost at next level | Total if needs increase one step | Written fee schedule |
| One-time fees | Community fee, deposit, refund terms | Agreement |
| What the base rate includes | Meals, laundry, medication help, transport, internet | NCAL's cost calculator lines, answered in writing |
| Staffing | Aides on your parent's floor by shift; nurse hours | Director, then your own evening visit |
| Inspection record | Serious or repeated citations in recent reports | State licensing agency |
| Contract terms | Rate increase notice, move-out terms, arbitration | Agreement |
| Apartment | Size, light, bathroom, whether the furniture fits | Floor plan and your own measurements |
| Food and activities | What you tasted and saw happening | Your visits |
| Distance | Drive time for the family member who will visit most | A map |
| Your parent's reaction | In their words | Your parent |
For the cost rows, use the three-scenario method in all-inclusive vs. tiered pricing. It keeps quotes from different pricing models comparable. For the staffing row, use the questions in assisted living staffing questions. For the inspection row, the method in how to read an assisted living inspection report takes about 20 minutes per community. Consumer Voice suggests comparing each community's reports with the others'.
How can your state's standard disclosure forms help?
Some states require communities to describe their services on a standard form. That makes comparing much easier, because every community answers the same questions in the same format. Ask your state licensing agency whether yours has one. Three examples:
- Oregon requires a Uniform Disclosure Statement, a form the state designs. A community must give it to each person who asks for information about it. Before move-in, it must also give a Consumer Summary Statement specific to that community.
- Minnesota requires communities to give people thinking of moving in a uniform checklist of services before a contract is signed, according to the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). It lists the services the community offers. It also lists those its license allows but it doesn't provide. Minnesota also runs an Assisted Living Report Card that combines resident and family surveys with inspection data.
- Florida requires communities to offer people thinking of moving in a written statement, per NCAL's state summary. It covers the monthly charge and what it includes, and personal care and nursing services and their extra costs. It also covers food service and special diets, transportation, and social activities.
If your state has such a form, ask every community on your list for it and staple it to your table. Where the form and the tour answers differ, the form and the residency agreement are what count.
Should you score everything, or rule some out first?
Rule some out first. A score blends strengths and weaknesses. That can let a community that fails on something non-negotiable look fine overall.
- Knockout rows: can't meet today's needs, total monthly cost above the family's ceiling, license doesn't cover the care your parent needs, or a serious unresolved inspection problem. Any one removes the community.
- Score the rest within 24 hours of the last visit, each family member separately. The weighting and scoring sheet are in our assisted living tour questions guide.
- Look at the gaps between people's scores before looking at the totals.
A comparison tab that does the math
Parent Move Plan includes a Compare tab with 12 weighted criteria and columns for four communities. The criteria run from "can meet the help your parent needs now" to "your parent's own reaction". Score each community within 24 hours of the last visit, and the sheet works out the weighted totals.
Get your first 3 days freeWhat if the family doesn't agree?
Start with the rows where your scores differ most and leave the totals for later. A two-point gap on "staffing" usually means one person saw something the other didn't. That's worth a second visit rather than an argument.
To get the family call started: "Before we compare totals, let's go row by row where we're more than one point apart. For each one, whoever scored lower says what they saw. If we still disagree, one of us goes back at dinner this week and reports."
Distance often divides siblings. The person who will visit most is the one who pays for a longer drive. Our post on assisted living near you or near your parent covers that choice. If the disagreement is about more than one community, sibling conflict over a parent's care has ways to get unstuck.
What's the final check before you decide?
There are three steps, in order. First, re-read the agreement of the top choice with your table next to it. Check that every cost and promise in your table is in the paperwork. Second, bring your parent back for a meal if they haven't eaten there. Third, if two communities are close, let your parent's preference decide. They are the one who will live there.
Keep the runner-up in play until the agreement is signed. Tell them honestly that you're finalizing another option. Ask whether they keep a waitlist and what, if anything, it costs to be on it. If a waitlist requires a deposit, get the refund terms in writing before paying. Once the move is underway, it's easy to forget you're paying two communities at once.
Finally, keep the completed table. It records why you chose this community, which helps when a sibling asks months later. It also gives you a baseline. At the first care plan meeting, you can check whether your parent is getting the staffing, services and costs you compared.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a website that compares assisted living communities?
Because assisted living is licensed and inspected by the states, most comparison data comes from state agencies. Some states publish inspection results online, and Minnesota publishes an Assisted Living Report Card with resident and family survey ratings. Commercial listing sites exist too; check how they are paid before relying on their rankings.
How many communities should we compare side by side?
Two or three finalists is manageable. The National Center for Assisted Living suggests narrowing your list to two or three communities that meet the needed services, location and price range before the deeper visits. Comparing more at that level of detail tends to blur the differences.
What if the cheapest community scores lowest on care?
Decide in advance what the family can pay and what care is non-negotiable, then rule out anything that fails either one. Among the communities left, a higher score on care and staffing is usually worth more than a small monthly saving, but that's a family decision. A financial planner can help test the budget.
Should my parent see the comparison table?
If they're able and interested, yes. Show them the two or three finalists with the facts that matter to them, such as the apartment, the food and the activities. Their reaction to each place counts as a criterion in its own right.
Sources
- National Center for Assisted Living: Choosing an Assisted Living Community, a consumer's guide (2025) (accessed Sept 2026)
- Oregon Administrative Rules: OAR 411-054-0026, Disclosure and Notification to Potential Residents (accessed Sept 2026)
- National Center for Assisted Living: Minnesota, Assisted Living State Regulatory Review (2026) (accessed Sept 2026)
- National Center for Assisted Living: Florida, Assisted Living State Regulatory Review (2025) (accessed Sept 2026)
- University of Minnesota School of Public Health: Minnesota's new Assisted Living Report Card is now available (2024) (accessed Sept 2026)
- National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care: How to Select an Assisted Living Facility (2013) (accessed Sept 2026)