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Talk to a Specialist →A standard 55+ community (SaddleBrooke, Quail Creek, Desert Hills) sells you a home. If you need assisted living or memory care in 10 years, you sell the home and move to a separate facility. There’s no continuity, no guaranteed placement, and no cost certainty.
A CCRC like La Posada contracts to provide a continuum of care on one campus. You move in as an independent living resident — your own apartment or villa, full autonomy, restaurant dining, social programming. If your health needs increase, you transition to assisted living, then memory care, then skilled nursing — all within the same community, with the same staff who know you, without selling your home or finding a new facility.
The trade-off: CCRCs cost substantially more upfront and monthly. You’re not buying a home — you’re buying a lifestyle plus a care guarantee.
| Cost Component | Typical Range | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance fee | $200,000–$500,000+ | Right to occupy + care guarantee; partially refundable depending on contract type |
| Monthly fee (independent) | $3,000–$5,000 | Housing, dining, utilities, housekeeping, transportation, activities, basic healthcare |
| Monthly fee (assisted living) | $5,000–$7,000 | Above + personal care assistance, medication management |
| Monthly fee (memory care) | $7,000–$10,000+ | Above + secure environment, specialized programming |
| Monthly fee (skilled nursing) | $8,000–$12,000+ | 24/7 nursing care, rehabilitation services |
CCRCs offer different contract structures that affect your financial risk. Type A (Life Care): highest entrance fee but locks in predictable monthly fees regardless of care level — you’re essentially pre-paying for future care. Type B (Modified): lower entrance fee but monthly fees increase as care needs escalate. Type C (Fee-for-Service): lowest entrance fee but you pay market rates for assisted living, memory care, and nursing as needed — no cost protection. Ask La Posada which contract types they offer and model the 10-year and 20-year cost scenarios for each.
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The alternative to a CCRC is buying in a standard 55+ community and purchasing long-term care (LTC) insurance to cover future assisted living or nursing care. Here’s the comparison:
| La Posada (CCRC) | 55+ Community + LTC Insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $200K–$500K entrance + $400K home equivalent | $200K–$500K home purchase |
| Monthly (independent) | $3,000–$5,000 | $400–$800 (HOA+tax+ins) + $200–$600 LTC premium |
| Care guarantee | Contractual (on-campus) | Policy-dependent (off-campus facility) |
| If you never need care | Entrance fee partially wasted | LTC premiums fully wasted |
| If you need 5+ years care | Capped or predictable costs | LTC policy may cap out; you pay the rest |
| Continuity | Same campus, same staff | New facility, new staff, new environment |
The CCRC wins on care continuity and cost predictability for those who do need escalating care. The standard 55+ community wins on upfront cost, home equity building, and monthly cash flow for those who stay healthy. Neither is objectively better — it depends on your health outlook, financial resources, and how much you value the guarantee of on-campus care transitions.
Couples or individuals who: have $400K–$700K+ in liquid assets available for the entrance fee without compromising their retirement income, value the peace of mind of guaranteed care escalation on one campus, don’t want their spouse to have to manage a facility search and transition during a health crisis, have family history of Alzheimer’s/dementia and want memory care guaranteed, and are willing to pay a premium for lifetime care security.
Who should look at standard 55+ instead: buyers who want to build home equity, buyers whose retirement budget is better served at $400–$800/month rather than $3,000–$5,000, buyers who are healthy at 65 and willing to bet on staying that way (statistically most people), and buyers who prefer to self-insure or use long-term care insurance rather than a CCRC entrance fee.
We’ll help you understand whether La Posada’s model or a traditional community fits your financial and care priorities.
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