Retirement Homes in Scarborough

Retirement Homes in Scarborough: Costs, Reviews & 12 Communities Compared (2026)

12

retirement homes compared

4.5★

average Google rating

6

rated 4.5 stars or higher

360

verified resident reviews

As of October 2026, Senior Care Path compares 12 retirement homes in Scarborough. They're ranked by the SCP Confidence Score, our 100-point trust rating, and no listing can pay for its place. See the top 10

12 retirement homes in Scarborough

Rated 4.5 on average across 360 Google reviews

#1Villa Karuna

Scarborough, ONLicensed by RHRA

A non-profit senior care home in Toronto providing non-medical care services including assisted living, total care, respite care, and…

DiningDiningPool or spaPool or spa
  • Retirement Home
  • Assisted Living
  • Respite Care

Typical in Ontario$3,050–$7,195/mo

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#4Amica Guildwood

Scarborough, ONLicensed by RHRA

A retirement residence in Scarborough that offers independent living and memory care. It backs onto Guildwood Park and Gardens…

Pet friendlyPet friendlyWi-FiWi-FiDiningDiningGardensGardens
  • Retirement Home
  • Memory Care
  • Independent Living

Typical in Ontario$3,050–$7,195/mo

#5Retirement Suites by the Lake

Toronto, ONLicensed by RHRA

A retirement residence on Kingston Road in Toronto, with lake view suites, meals, activities and supportive care.

DiningDiningGardensGardens
  • Retirement Home
  • Independent Living
  • Respite Care

Typical in Toronto$2,870–$8,000/mo

#6Bethseda Home

Scarborough, ONLicensed by RHRA

A small senior residence in Scarborough, Ontario, offering assisted living, memory care and independent living. Meals and activities reflect…

DiningDining
  • Retirement Home
  • Assisted Living
  • Memory Care

Typical in Ontario$3,050–$7,195/mo

#7Alexis Lodge

Scarborough, ONLicensed by RHRA

An all-inclusive dementia care home located in Scarborough offering specialized services for residents with Alzheimer's, dementia,…

  • Memory Care
  • Retirement Home

Rates on request

#8Shepherd Village

Scarborough, ONLicensed by RHRA

Toronto's largest not-for-profit seniors community offering multiple levels of care. Founded in 1961, it provides retirement,…

Fitness centreFitness centreDiningDiningSalonSalonPool or spaPool or spa
  • Retirement Home
  • Independent Living
  • Assisted Living

Typical in Ontario$3,050–$7,195/mo

#9Cedarbrook Lodge Retirement Residence

Scarborough, ONLicensed by RHRA

A retirement home in Scarborough, Ontario with suites, daily meals, activities and care support for seniors who want to live independently with help…

DiningDiningSalonSalonGardensGardensPool or spaPool or spaLibraryLibrary
  • Retirement Home
  • Independent Living

Typical in Ontario$3,050–$7,195/mo

Showing 10 of 12 communities

Top-rated retirement homes in Scarborough

The 10 highest-rated retirement homes in Scarborough on our SCP Confidence Score, as of October 2026. Tap a name to jump to its card above. No listing can pay for a place on this list.

How much do retirement homes cost in Scarborough?

Senior Care Path tracks 12 retirement homes in Scarborough, updated October 2026. Few publish a rate online, but across Ontario published rates for retirement homes typically fall in the $3,050–$7,195 per month range, so use the listings below to ask each one for a current quote. The average Google rating is 4.5/5 across 360 resident reviews, and we rank them by the SCP Confidence Score, our 100-point trust rating.

12 of the 12 communities we list in Scarborough hold an active licence from the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA), checked October 2026.

Source: Senior Care Path first-party listing data, updated October 2026. How we score and rank · How much does a retirement home cost in Ontario?.

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Who are you searching for?

Retirement homes in Scarborough tend to cluster along Kingston Road and near the Scarborough Town Centre area, with quieter options closer to the Bluffs and out toward Malvern. Many families like being within reach of Scarborough Health Network's hospitals and everyday shopping and transit. In our experience, the choice usually comes down to how much support your parent needs now and how easily you can visit. In Scarborough, retirement homes are also called retirement residences or senior homes.

Scarborough is part of Toronto. To see every option across the city, visit our Toronto retirement homes hub.

By Jonathan Kennedy · Last reviewed October 2026

How to choose retirement homes in Scarborough

Scarborough is a large, sprawling part of Toronto's east end, and that geography shapes your search in a real way. Retirement homes tend to cluster around Scarborough Town Centre, along Kingston Road, and in established neighbourhoods like Agincourt, Wexford, and Guildwood. If your parent relies on public transit or needs regular visits to Scarborough Health Network's Birchmount or General campuses, keeping the home within a reasonable distance of those hubs is worth prioritizing from the start, not as an afterthought.

All retirement homes in Ontario must be licensed by the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA). That licence is your baseline guarantee. Before you tour a single property, look it up on the RHRA public registry and read the most recent inspection report. If a home isn't on that list, walk away. Our advisors recommend this step even when a facility comes highly recommended by a friend or a family doctor. The licence tells you what care services the home is approved to offer, which matters enormously if your parent's needs are likely to change.

The honest close call many Scarborough families face is whether a retirement home is the right fit, or whether assisted living or memory care is the more appropriate step. Retirement homes work best when someone is largely independent but wants meals, housekeeping, and the comfort of community. If your parent needs help with bathing, dressing, or has a dementia diagnosis, look at our Assisted Living and Memory Care listings alongside these results. Starting in a retirement home and moving later is common, but it's an emotional and logistical disruption. Getting the level right the first time saves everyone.

Availability in Scarborough can move quickly at well-located homes. Our best advice: identify two or three genuine contenders, tour them all within the same week if you can, and ask each one directly about current waitlists. Private-pay rates vary by care level, suite size, and the services included in the base package, so the monthly figure you see in a listing is a starting point, not a ceiling. Comparing what's included versus billed as an add-on is where the real budgeting happens. If home care is still a viable option for your family, Ontario Health atHome can arrange community support services, which some families use to delay or avoid a move altogether.

Ratings and reviews for retirement homes in Scarborough

A 4.5 star average across 360 Google reviews of 11 retirement homes. Here is a sample, straight from residents and families.

“After making the difficult decision to care for my sister, we reviewed several options and selected the memory care program at McCowan Retirement Residence. To date, we have not been disappointed with the care provided. The program has...”
Judith S-B on McCowan Retirement Residence - Metta Lifestyles
“In 1998, I came in contact with The Pentecostal Benevolent Association of Ontario (today’s Shepherd Village) through my work assignment. I met the Management Team of that time and was very impressed with their vision in providing...”
Andrew Yau on Shepherd Village
“December 2025 Thank you for your kind ways when delivering food to mom's room. So thankful for your help and service and kindnesses, you do so much more than just deliver food! November 2025 I have to mention again how supportive the...”
J. Turner on Amica Guildwood
“There will never be enough words of praise for the incredible staff at RSBL! Their sheer joy, caring and kindness is unparalleled. It was because of the proximity to my physio that I chose this place to spend my first 2 weeks post knee...”
Catherine Wright on Retirement Suites by the Lake
“Our students from Sparks Music Academy regularly visit Scarborough Retirement Residence to perform for the residents, and every single time we leave with such warm feelings in our hearts. The staff are always incredibly welcoming, kind,...”
Inna Kotenko on Scarborough Retirement Residence
“Alexis Lodge is an amazing place. They have treated my parents with dignity, compassion, respect, and kindness. Before coming to Alexis, my parents were treated very badly while living with my sister. My mother’s dementia declined...”
Anna on Alexis Lodge

Where our information comes from

360

Google reviews

Star ratings and written reviews come straight from Google, so the feedback is from real residents and families across these 11 communities, never written by us.

100-point

SCP Confidence Score

Our own 11-signal trust rating, recomputed as listings are verified and updated, decides the order above. It answers one question: can you trust this community?

How Scarborough communities are rated

Google star ratings across 11 retirement homes.

  • 4.5 and up6
  • 4.0 to 4.41
  • 3.5 to 3.94
  • Under 3.50

Confidence Score range

How the 12 Scarborough retirement homes fall across our trust tiers.

  • High0 communities
  • Good5 communities
  • Developing6 communities
  • Limited1 community

Paying for retirement homes in Scarborough: rates and funding

Few Scarborough retirement homes publish a rate online, but across Ontario published rates for retirement homes typically fall in the $3,050–$7,195 per month range. Call any community below for a current, itemised quote, since the final number depends on suite size and the level of care needed.

Most retirement homes in Ontario are private-pay, funded from a blend of pensions, retirement savings, and home equity. Government pensions form the floor: the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and the income-tested Guaranteed Income Supplement for lower-income seniors. Provincial benefits and Veterans Affairs Canada may offset part of the cost. For a full breakdown, read our guide on how much does a retirement home cost in ontario?.

Retirement homes in Ontario are primarily private-pay; they do not receive the same public funding as long-term care homes. Federal income supports like Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement can help offset monthly costs for eligible residents.

Retirement Homes services and amenities in Scarborough

What Scarborough communities actually offer, drawn from the details each one publishes. A good way to see what is standard locally and what is a genuine differentiator.

Most common amenities

Share of the 12 communities that publish amenities.

  • Dining room25%
  • Automatic fire sprinklers17%
  • Bistro17%
  • Advanced post room8%
  • Appointments with on-site specialists8%
  • Atrium8%
  • Beauty salon8%
  • Bedrooms for residents8%
  • Billiards8%
  • Bistro with snacks and refreshments8%

Most common care services

Share of the 12 communities that publish services.

  • Continence care25%
  • Assistance with bathing17%
  • Assistance with dressing17%
  • Assistance with feeding17%
  • Assistance with personal hygiene17%
  • Housekeeping17%
  • Meals provided17%
  • Medication management17%
  • 24-hour nurse on-call8%
  • 24-hour nursing staff8%

Suite types offered

Share of the 7 communities that list suite types.

  • Suite71%
  • One bedroom29%
  • Two bedroom29%
  • Studio14%

Frequently asked questions

How much do retirement homes cost in Scarborough?

Too few retirement homes in Scarborough publish a rate to give a city figure, but across Ontario published starting rates run roughly $3,050 to $7,195 per month, depending on suite size and the level of care needed. Ask each community for an all-in quote.

What is the typical cost of a retirement home in Ontario?

In our directory, Ontario retirement homes start at a median of about $3,999 a month before care, with the middle half between $3,370 and $4,532 (September 2026). Once personal care is added, most families pay about $3,000 to $8,000 a month all in, and full-service or luxury homes in Toronto and Ottawa can run higher.

Does the Ontario government pay for retirement homes?

No. Retirement homes in Ontario are private-pay, and the province does not pay the rent. Ontario funds long-term care homes instead, where residents pay a regulated accommodation fee. Ontario Health atHome may still provide some care services to a retirement home resident, and pensions such as OAS, GIS and CPP, plus the care portion of fees claimed as a medical expense, can help cover the cost.

Are there 55+ apartments in Scarborough?

Yes. Besides retirement homes, Scarborough has independent living communities and 55+ rental apartments for active seniors who don't need daily care. They cost less than a retirement home because care and most meals aren't included. Compare independent living in Scarborough on our directory.

What's the difference between a retirement home and assisted living in Scarborough?

Retirement homes suit seniors who are largely independent but want meals, housekeeping, and community. Assisted living provides hands-on help with daily tasks like bathing and dressing. If your parent needs that kind of personal care daily, our Scarborough Assisted Living listings are the better starting point.

How do I arrange a tour or check availability at a Scarborough retirement home?

Contact the home directly using the phone number or inquiry form on its listing. Ask about current suite availability and waitlist timelines in the same call. Touring two or three homes in the same week makes comparisons much easier while details are fresh.

How do I know if a Scarborough retirement home is properly licensed?

Search the RHRA public registry at rhra.ca. Every licensed Ontario retirement home is listed there, along with its most recent inspection report. Reading that report before you tour is one of the most useful steps families skip.

Sources & further reading

Keep exploring

All retirement homes across Canada