Cost Of Hiring A Maid / Domestic Helper In Singapore – The Complete Guide

Looking to hire a maid but not sure about the costs involved? Here's the complete guide on what you need to know.

 Around one in five households currently hires a Migrant Domestic Worker (MDW), with around 286,000 maids in Singapore in total. 

However, calculating the exact how much does it cost to hire a maid in Singapore can be overwhelming. Hiring a helper extends far beyond simply the cash you hand over at the end of the month. There is a host of administrative, regulatory, and living costs that you will need to settle.

To help you plan your household expenses, this complete guide breaks down everything from upfront agency placement fees to monthly recurring costs.

• Salary range
• Maid levy
• Working and rest days
• Living expenses
• One-off costs
• Maid placement fee/loan
• Additional COVID-19 related costs

Salary range

The baseline domestic helper salary in Singapore typically ranges from about S$500 to S$850+ per month. This amount fluctuates primarily based on the helper's country of origin, total years of localized experience, and whether you are hiring a new or transfer helper.

Different sending countries mandate different minimum salary guidelines for their citizens working abroad. Here is a breakdown of the estimated minimum and market monthly salaries by nationality:

• Myanmar / Sri Lanka: S$450 to S$550+
• Indonesia: S$560 to S$650+ (The Indonesian government enforces a strict minimum baseline of S$560)
• Philippines: S$670 to S$850+ (Mandated minimum of US$500, with higher market rates for English fluency)
• Transfer Maids (Any Nationality): S$750 to S$1,000+

While new helpers coming directly from their home countries sit at the lower end of the wage scale, they require substantial training. On the other hand, transfer maids—helpers who are already in Singapore and moving directly from one local employer to another—command higher monthly salaries because they have proven experience, understand local customs, and do not require long settling-in periods.

Maid levy 

On top of the monthly salary, every employer must pay a monthly Migrant Domestic Worker levy to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). This is a statutory tax and cannot be deducted from your helper's pay.

The standard levy rate for your first domestic helper is S$300 per month. If you choose to hire a second domestic helper, the levy for the additional worker rises to S$450 per month.

Who Qualifies For The Concessionary Rate?

Thankfully, many households are eligible for the maid levy concessionary rate singapore, which drops your monthly tax down to just S$60 per month. You qualify for this concession if your household includes any of the following individuals who are Singapore citizens:

• A child or grandchild below the age of 16 living at the same address.
• An elderly family member (employer, spouse, parent, or grandparent) who is at least 67 years old and living at the same address.
• A person with disabilities who requires permanent assistance with daily personal care (certified by an approved assessor).

The concessionary rate is automatically applied to your Central Provident Fund (CPF) monthly levy bill if eligible young children or seniors are registered at your address.

Working and rest days

Managing rest days impacts the total monthly cost of domestic helper singapore households experience. Legally, helpers are entitled to one rest day per week.

However, under MOM regulations, all employers must provide at least one mandatory rest day per month that cannot be compensated away. This means your helper must physically take at least one full day off (or two half-days) every month to rest, and you cannot offer extra cash to buy over this specific day.

For the remaining three rest days of the month, you can negotiate an agreement with your helper. If she mutually agrees to work on her official rest days, you must compensate her with a replacement rest day within the same month, or pay her at least one day's worth of her pro-rated salary.

How to calculate rest day compensation:

Compensation Pay = {Monthly Base Salary / 26} x Number of Rest Days Worked

If a helper earning S$650 a month agrees to forego two of her flexible rest days, you will need to add an extra S$50 to her monthly payout.

Living expenses 

Because full-time helpers are legally mandated to reside with their employers, you are completely responsible for providing their daily basic necessities. You must factor these variable day-to-day items into your overall household budget:

• Food and Groceries: You are required to provide three nutritious meals a day. Adding another adult to your grocery cart typically adds S$150 to S$250 per month.
• Utilities: Expect your home's water and electricity bills to rise by S$30 to S$50 per month due to additional laundry loads, longer cooking times, and daily showers.
• Medical and Outpatient Care: While major events are covered by mandatory insurance, you are legally responsible for her regular primary care, including GP clinic visits, cough syrup, and dental emergencies. This averages S$10 to S$30 per month when averaged across a year.

One-off costs 

When onboarding a new helper, the upfront financial commitment is substantial. The cost of hiring a maid in singapore includes several fixed government administrative charges and medical checkpoints:

• MOM Work Permit Fees: S$35 for the initial application, and an additional S$35 for the issuance of the physical card (Total S$70).
• Settling-In Programme (SIP): If you are hiring an MDW who has never worked in Singapore before, she must attend this mandatory 1-day orientation course within 3 working days of arrival. This costs S$76.40 (inclusive of GST) and must be paid by the employer.
• Employers’ Orientation Programme (EOP): If you are a first-time employer, you must complete this course before submitting a work permit application. It costs S$35 for the online module.
• Pre-Employment Medical Examination: Within 14 days of arrival, your helper must pass a clinical health screening for infectious illnesses and physical fitness. This costs between S$40 to S$150 depending on the clinic panel.

Maid Insurance & Security Bond

Before a helper is permitted to enter Singapore, MOM strictly dictates that you purchase a comprehensive insurance policy.

The Upfront MOM Security Bond

You must furnish a S$5,000 security bond to MOM (except if you are hiring a Malaysian helper). This functions as a binding guarantee that both you and your helper will respect local employment laws. Fortunately, you do not need to lock up S$5,000 in cash; nearly all insurers issue a Letter of Guarantee to MOM on your behalf when you buy a maid insurance policy, completely covering this bond footprint.

Enhanced Insurance Framework Requirements

Maid insurance plans are sold in 14-month or 26-month tenures to match standard 1-year or 2-year work permits (plus 2 months of administrative buffer space). Under the strict insurance rules, your package must include:

• Personal Accident Coverage: At least S$60,000 per year to cover permanent disability or accidental death.
• Enhanced Medical Insurance: A minimum annual claim limit of S$60,000 for hospitalisation and day surgeries.

Under this framework, insurers handle the first S$15,000 of hospital bills completely. For any bill amounts scaling above S$15,000, a 25% employer co-payment applies. To mitigate this risk, many employers purchase premium insurance riders that absorb this 25% co-payment structure on their behalf. A standard 26-month baseline insurance plan costs between S$400 and S$800.

Maid placement fee/loan 

The placement fee (frequently called a "maid loan") is an upfront sum paid by the employer to the agency to cover the helper's personal costs of migration, documentation, and training in her home country.

This is not a permanent expense for the employer. Instead, it functions as an interest-free cash advance. This upfront placement loan—which typically ranges from S$1,500 to S$2,800—is gradually paid back to you by deducting a fixed amount from your helper's monthly salary across her first 4 to 6 months of employment.

Maid Agency Fee

If you want an agency to take care of the heavy lifting, you will need to pay a standalone maid agency fee singapore package price. A reputable agency handles background screening, flight bookings, cross-border paperwork, transportation logistics, and initial medical checks.

An average agency service contract costs between S$1,000 and S$3,000. If you are looking to trim down these upfront costs, you can opt for a "direct hire" arrangement by handling the MOM digital application process yourself, or look into hiring local transfer helpers where agency administrative costs are heavily discounted.

Cost Breakdown Summary Table

To give you a holistic picture, here is a concise consolidation of the typical budget requirements for a 2-year helper contract cycle:

The Bottom Line

When planning your long-term household budget, expect an upfront out-of-pocket cash layout of roughly S$3,000 to S$5,000 (including agency fees, insurance, and the upfront placement loan framework) before your helper arrives.

Once your helper settles into your home and the placement loan is successfully paid off, your ongoing, baseline monthly cost of domestic helper singapore households experience will sit comfortably between S$760 and S$1,500 per month, depending on your eligibility for the concessionary levy and your helper's base salary terms.

Looking for more information on hiring a maid and about maid insurance? Check out our comprehensive comparison of different maid insurance plans along with ongoing promos and discounts.

Read these next:
Travelling In A COVID-19 World: All You Need To Know (And Hidden Costs)
COVID-19 Tests In Singapore: Its Cost And Where To Go
Things To Do In Singapore That Get You The Most Bang For Your Buck
Best Travel Insurance Plans with Covid-19 Coverage
The Real Cost of Working From Home (WFH) May Surprise You