This guide is written for Montgomery County homeowners who are comparing 55+ communities for the first time. It covers the four names you will hear most often, Leisure World of Maryland, The Village at Rossmoor, Asbury Methodist Village, and Holiday Park, plus the smaller active-adult communities worth a look in Wheaton, Silver Spring, Rockville, and Clarksburg. Every price and fee in this guide comes from the communities' own materials or from published senior-living data sources, and each figure is footnoted in the sources box at the end.
The 55+ Communities at a Glance
Here is the honest comparison table. Note the column on care: it is the single biggest driver of which community fits you.
| Community | Type and Ownership | Entry / Purchase | Monthly Costs | Care and Lifestyle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leisure World of Maryland Silver Spring, Rossmoor area | 55+ gated community; condos, one co-op, and HOA single-family across 29 associations called mutuals | Purchase only; resale community | Trust fee $275.73/mo (2026) plus mutual dues; about $650 to $1,250/mo combined; buyer pays a 3% resale fee | Independent living; golf, pools, 60+ clubs, on-site medical; no assisted living or memory care |
| The Village at Rossmoor Silver Spring, Rossmoor area | Newer fee-simple single-family section of Leisure World; the same homes appear in today's listings as Regency at Leisure World | Purchase only; home and land owned outright | Trust fee $275.73/mo (2026) plus the section's HOA dues | Independent living; detached homes with shared Leisure World amenities; no skilled care on site |
| Asbury Methodist Village Gaithersburg | Not-for-profit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) on a 134-acre arboretum campus | Entrance fee from about $300,000 (80% refundable or standard plans); some no-entrance-fee rentals | Monthly services fee varies by plan and residence; covers property taxes, many utilities, emergency response, wellness | Full continuum: independent living through skilled nursing, memory care, and rehab |
| Holiday Park Silver Spring / Wheaton | Non-restricted neighborhood anchored by the county's largest senior center; no age restriction | None; no entrance fee, no age rule | Market-rate homes and rentals in the neighborhood; no community fee | Senior center classes, fitness, and meals for roughly 500 to 600 daily visitors; no housing on the center's site |
| The Village at Cabin Branch Wheaton | New 55+ active-adult condos, villas, and elevator townhomes | Purchase only; no entrance fee | Condo or HOA fees set by the association; no published rate | Independent living; new construction; no care on site |
| The Leggett Silver Spring | 62+ senior apartments, rental | None | About $1,685 to $1,911/mo for a one-bedroom; income limits apply | Independent living; no care on site |
| Encore at the Elms at Clarksburg Village Clarksburg | 55+ rental apartments | None | Monthly rentals from the $1,600s | Independent living; no care on site |
| Ingleside at King Farm Rockville | Life plan community (CCRC) | Refundable entrance fee | Independent living from about $3,498/mo per the operator; assisted living costs more | Full continuum of care |
A note on names: "The Village at Rossmoor" is what some guides call the newer single-family section of Leisure World of Maryland, which sits at 3701 Rossmoor Blvd in Silver Spring's Rossmoor neighborhood. The same homes are typically listed today as Regency at Leisure World. If a listing or an agent uses a different section name, confirm which of Leisure World's 29 associations the property belongs to before you compare fees.
Amenities and Lifestyle, Community by Community
Leisure World of Maryland is the amenities heavyweight. Its 18-hole championship golf course anchors two clubhouses, and the grounds include indoor and outdoor pools, tennis and pickleball courts, and more than 60 resident clubs covering everything from creative arts to fitness. On-site medical offices, a pharmacy, a bank, and a post office mean several regular errands never require leaving the gates. Shuttle services connect residents to the clubhouses and activities. The trade-off: this is a large, structured community with a 55+ age rule (one household member at least 55, the other at least 50) and a two-layer fee system explained below.
The Village at Rossmoor (the single-family section of Leisure World) adds what the condos cannot: a detached home with your own lawn, driveway, and garage, while still drawing on Leisure World's shared clubhouses, pools, golf, and clubs. Single-family development in the community began in 2003, which is why these are the newest homes in the neighborhood.
Asbury Methodist Village is a different world, a not-for-profit continuing care community on a 134-acre certified arboretum campus with ponds, trails, and a 17-acre wildlife preserve. The Rosborough Cultural Arts and Wellness Center holds an indoor pool, a fitness center, an indoor walking track, and a 275-seat theatre, with pickleball, tennis, and bocce courts, a library, and several dining venues nearby. Because care is on site, the campus is designed for people who plan to stay for decades, not a quick stop.
Holiday Park is worth understanding because it is so often misunderstood. It is not a residence at all: it is the senior center at 3950 Ferrara Drive in the Wheaton area of Silver Spring, operated by Montgomery County Recreation, and the county's largest, with roughly 500 to 600 visitors a day. The draw is the programs, fitness and wellness classes, arts and crafts, bridge, chess, a computer learning lab, and a congregate meal program. For a downsizer, Holiday Park matters in two ways: as a daily social resource if you live nearby, and as a reminder that the surrounding neighborhood, with its market-rate homes and rentals and no age restriction, is a legitimate alternative to a gated community.
The smaller active-adult options round out the picture. The Village at Cabin Branch in Wheaton is new 55+ construction (condos, villas, and elevator townhomes) in a walkable village, purpose-built for buyers who want age-restricted living without an entrance fee. The Leggett in Silver Spring and Encore at the Elms at Clarksburg Village are rental-first alternatives with no entrance fee and no resale, and Landow House in Rockville is a long-standing 55+ rental building. For a full Rockville comparison, see our guide to Rockville's 55+ communities.
Price Ranges: What Entry Really Costs
Leisure World of Maryland is a resale-only community with one of the widest price spreads in the county: published community profiles put the overall range from below $100,000 to the low $800,000s, and recent listing data shows asking prices roughly from $91,000 to $549,000 with a median sale price around $255,000. Small one-bedroom condos regularly trade well under $140,000, while the newer single-family homes in the Rossmoor section, including Regency at Leisure World, command the top of the range. Your cost depends almost entirely on which mutual and which unit type you choose, so price is the least useful thing to compare in isolation.
Asbury Methodist Village prices its independent living with an entrance fee that, per Asbury's own materials, begins around $300,000 and varies by residence size and plan. Two contract types exist: an 80% refundable plan, which returns 80% of the entrance fee to your estate, and a standard plan that amortizes the fee over 50 months. A monthly services fee covers the operating side (see the next section). Some independent living apartments are also offered as no-entrance-fee rentals, which changes the math entirely for someone who wants the campus without tying up capital. Third-party senior-living profiles commonly quote Asbury's independent living monthly fees in the roughly $2,700 to $3,600 range; the community quotes exact figures on request.
Ingleside at King Farm in Rockville requires a refundable entrance fee for independent living and advertises monthly independent living pricing from about $3,498, with assisted living priced higher. The Village at Cabin Branch has no entrance fee, only the purchase price plus association fees, but no published HOA rate was available from our sources. The Leggett rents one-bedroom apartments for about $1,685 to $1,911 a month, subject to income limits, and Encore at the Elms at Clarksburg Village lists 55+ rentals from the $1,600s a month.
HOA Fees and Monthly Costs, Explained
This is where the guides get vague, so be specific. Leisure World charges every household two separate layers. The Trust fee is set community-wide, $275.73 per household per month in 2026, and supports the shared property, the clubhouses, the golf course, and the medical center, with basic cable and high-speed internet included. The mutual fee is set by your own association's board and is where the variation lives. Combined, expect roughly $650 to $1,250 a month depending on the mutual and unit size, a range consistent with the $475 to $1,193 monthly HOA dues band published in community profiles. Two homes that look alike can carry very different totals, so read the specific mutual's budget and fee disclosure, not a general number. One more Leisure World cost: buyers pay a one-time resale fee of 3% of the gross sale price, which goes to the Resales Improvement Fund.
In the Village at Rossmoor / Regency section, the same community-wide Trust fee applies, and the section's HOA dues cover shared services such as water, cable, snow removal, and lawn maintenance, with the homeowner responsible for the home itself.
Asbury Methodist Village bundles differently. Its monthly services fee covers property taxes, many utilities, security and emergency response, wellness, and amenities, which is why its published monthly numbers sit above most area 55+ fees: you are buying services and future care, not just grounds maintenance.
Cabin Branch sets condo and HOA fees per association, with no entrance fee. Rental buildings (The Leggett, Encore at the Elms, Landow House) fold everything into the monthly rent, with no HOA at all, which is often the simplest line-item comparison in this entire guide.
Rent vs. Buy: Which Makes Sense for You?
Buying gives you control and a place to build equity; renting gives you freedom and far fewer day-to-day burdens. The choice turns on how long you expect to stay and how much you want to manage. Neither is better in the abstract; each is better for a different season of life.
Buying makes sense at Leisure World, the Village at Rossmoor, and Cabin Branch if you plan to stay for years and want your housing cost contained. Remember the buying costs: Leisure World's 3% resale fee on the way in, closing costs, and the monthly Trust plus mutual layers. The resale market is active, with a consistent stream of listings, but it is a market you will someday sell in, so choose a mutual with fees and rules you can live with long term.
Renting makes sense at The Leggett, Encore at the Elms, Landow House, and Asbury's no-entrance-fee apartments if you want to test a community, preserve capital, or keep the door open to move again in a few years. The Leggett carries income limits, so check eligibility before you fall in love with a unit. The trade-off is that rent goes up over time and builds no equity.
A third model is the CCRC contract at Asbury or Ingleside: a large entrance fee (partially or fully refundable under some plans) plus monthly fees, in exchange for guaranteed access to higher levels of care as you age. It is effectively prepaying for your future care needs, and it deserves the same scrutiny as any major purchase. Run your own numbers with the downsizing cost calculator before you commit to any of the three models.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which 55+ community in Montgomery County is the best overall?
For most downsizers it comes down to two very different options. Leisure World of Maryland in Silver Spring is the county's dominant 55+ community, with homes from under $100,000 to the low $800,000s and resort-style amenities. Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg is the county's largest continuing care retirement community, for buyers who want a path from independent living to skilled nursing without another move. The best choice depends on whether you want maintenance-free ownership, a care continuum, or the flexibility of a monthly rental.
What are Leisure World of Maryland's monthly fees?
Two layers. A community-wide Trust fee of $275.73 per household per month in 2026 covers shared property, the clubhouses, the golf course, the medical center, basic cable, and high-speed internet. A mutual fee is set independently by your own association. Combined, expect roughly $650 to $1,250 a month. Buyers also pay a one-time resale fee equal to 3% of the gross sale price.
Does Asbury Methodist Village require an entrance fee?
Yes for most independent living contracts. Asbury's entrance fees begin around $300,000 and vary by residence, under an 80% refundable plan or a standard plan that amortizes the fee over 50 months. A monthly services fee covers property taxes, many utilities, security and emergency response, wellness, and amenities. Asbury also offers some independent living apartments as no-entrance-fee rentals.
Can I rent a 55+ or senior apartment in Montgomery County instead of buying?
Yes. The Leggett in Silver Spring (62+, about $1,685 to $1,911 a month for a one-bedroom, with income limits) and Encore at the Elms at Clarksburg Village (55+ rentals from the $1,600s) are purpose-built rentals. Landow House in Rockville is also senior rental housing, and Asbury offers rental-plan independent living alongside its entrance-fee contracts.
Is Holiday Park a 55+ community?
No. Holiday Park is the senior center in Silver Spring's Wheaton area run by Montgomery County Recreation, the county's largest, serving roughly 500 to 600 visitors a day with classes, fitness, and a meal program. It is not housing. The Holiday Park neighborhood around it has market-rate homes and rentals with no age restriction, which is a legitimate option for downsizers who want the social life of a senior community without buying into an age-restricted one.
What is the difference between a 55+ community and a continuing care retirement community (CCRC)?
A 55+ community like Leisure World or The Village at Cabin Branch is age-restricted housing for independent residents, with no medical care on site beyond what the county provides. A CCRC or life plan community like Asbury Methodist Village or Ingleside at King Farm offers independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing on one campus, usually with an entrance fee plus monthly fees, so you can stay put as your needs change.
Sources and Verification
The figures in this guide come from the communities' official materials and from published senior-living data sources, not from marketing pages. Prices, fees, and income limits change, so always confirm current figures directly with the community before making a decision.
- Leisure World of Maryland, official community site, including the Mutual Comparison chart (March 2025) and the community history
- Asbury Methodist Village, official site, including Independent Living Pricing and Asbury's guide to retirement community costs
- Montgomery County Recreation, Holiday Park Senior Center (official county page)
- The Village at Cabin Branch, official community site
- The Leggett, senior apartments FAQ (rents and income limits)
- Ingleside at King Farm, entrance and monthly fees
- 55places, Leisure World of Maryland profile (price range and HOA dues band)
- Neighborhoods.com, Leisure World of Maryland real estate data (asking prices and median)
- Seniorly, Asbury Methodist Village profile (campus facts and monthly estimates)
- Montgomery Magazine, 2025 Top Senior Communities in Montgomery County
- Best Guide Retirement Communities, Maryland (Encore at the Elms rental pricing)
Written and reviewed by Marc Cormier, SRES
Published · Last reviewed
Marc Cormier is a licensed Realtor in Maryland and a Seniors Real Estate Specialist who has helped families across Montgomery County and the DC region plan and complete their downsizing moves. He does not sell fee data for these communities; the numbers above are what each community and the cited data sources publish. Verify before you buy.
Not sure which community fits your budget and your future?
A private conversation with Marc costs nothing and puts you in control. Bring your questions and leave with a clear comparison.
Talk With MarcImportant Note: This guide provides general information about 55+ communities in Montgomery County. Pricing, entrance fees, HOA and monthly fees, income limits, amenities, and availability change frequently and should be verified directly with each community before making decisions. This article is not legal, tax, or financial advice.
