How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Maid In Singapore?

As of December 2024, there are about 1.46 million households and 301,600 migrant domestic workers (MDWs) employed in Singapore. This means about one in five households employ a maid to help them with general housework, cooking, and looking after the elderly, young children or family members with disabilities.

If you don’t already know, hiring a maid in Singapore goes beyond just the salary that you need to pay. In this article, we will help guide you through the various costs that you incur when employing a maid so that you can accurately budget for it.

Read Also: How Much Does It Cost To Hire Part-Time Cleaners/ Maids/ Housekeepers In Singapore?

#1 Salary

Salary is the biggest monthly recurring cost that you will be paying.

Depending on which country your maid comes from, the salary that you can expect to pay may differ.

If you are employing a MDW with no prior experience, they may be willing to accept close to the minimum salary. Similar to all salary negotiations, the final amount is between the employer and MDW.

Do note that the above figures only represent the minimum monthly salary you must pay if you engage an MDW from one of these countries. You may need to pay more, especially if the MDW that you employ has prior experience or possesses specialised caregiving skills. For example, a trained and experienced MDW with skills in caregiving for the elderly may expect between $1,000 and $1,500/month.

Likewise, hiring a maid who has worked/ is working in Singapore (also known as a transfer maid) also tends to be more expensive, with monthly salaries ranging between $800 to $1,000.

In addition to the countries listed in the table above, you can also employ MDWs from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Macau, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Take note that your MDWs must be between the ages of 23 and 50 at the time of application and have at least 8 years of formal education with a recognised certificate. You can find out more about their eligibility requirements here.

Estimated Cost: About $600 to $1,500.

Read Also: Are There Cheaper Alternatives To Hiring A Domestic Helper?

#2 Maid Levy

The maid levy for your first helper in Singapore is $300 per month. For subsequent MDWs that you employ, it will increase to $450 per month.

If you qualify for a concessionary levy, the amount will be reduced to $60 per month. The concessionary rate applies to families with family members, as stated below.

• Child or grandchild below 16 years old.
• An elderly family member who is at least 67 years old.
• A family member who needs help with at least one daily activity.

However, you stop qualifying for levy concession when the:

• Child or grandchild turns 16 years old.
• Person needing care (young child, aged or disabled family member) has passed away.
• Person needing care no longer stays with you.
• Person needing care is no longer a Singapore citizen

The levy concession is only granted to 1 helper per eligible person and capped to 2 helpers per households, provided you qualify for it.

Estimated Cost: $60 (with concession) or $300 (no concession)

#3 Working On Rest Days

Your maid is entitled to one rest day per week. This means you are required to give four rest days to your MDW each month.

If your maid agrees to work on her rest day, you are expected to compensate her with at least one day’s salary. This is an additional payment and should not be counted as part of your MDW’s basic salary.

Out of the 4 rest days, you must ensure that your MDW has at least one rest day per month that cannot be compensated away. Assuming your MDW’s salary is $600 monthly and you require her to work two additional days, it will cost you an extra $46 ($600 divided by 26, multiplied by 2).

The rest day can be taken as either one full day or over two half days. In the event that the MDW cannot take her rest day in that particular month, you can defer it up to the following month.

Estimated Cost: $46 (assuming two additional working days)

#4 Living Expenses

Living expenses are one of the unseen costs that you should not ignore.

Employing a maid is like having an additional adult living in your home. At the very least, you should account for the additional utility, groceries and public transportation costs incurred.

There may be other costs you incur. If your family eats out often and you do not wish to leave your maid behind, you should expect to spend more on these family outings. Also, some employers may wish to pay for items such as telecommunication bills and other leisure activities that their maid participates in. This will add up.

Estimated Cost: About $250 (low estimate, likely to be higher for many families) 

Total Recurring Costs Each Month*

* Assuming a salary of $600 monthly, working on two rest days and with the concessionary levy.

#5 Medical Costs

As an employer, you must bear the medical obligations of your MDW. These include recurring fixed medical costs from insurance and ad hoc costs like treatment for common colds, flu, or toothaches.

MOM requires employers to buy medical insurance with a minimum coverage of at least $60,000 per year to cover the MDW’s inpatient care and day surgery.

Additionally, you are also required to buy personal accident insurance for your MDW with a minimum coverage of at least $60,000 per year to cover any sudden, unforeseen, and unexpected incidents that result in permanent disability or death. For claims above $15,000, the insurers will co-pay 75% of the cost while the employers will bear the remaining 25%.

Starting from 1 July 2025, medical insurances would be enhanced to include (1) allowable exclusion clauses, (2) age-differentiated premiums and (3) requirement for insurers to reimburse hospitals directly. This may increase your maid insurance premiums, when the time comes.

Based on the quotes given by various insurance companies, you can expect to pay around $400 to $600 under the current medical requirements.

Lastly, MOM requires you to send your MDW for a six-monthly medical examination (6ME) to detect signs of abuse. All 6MEs must be conducted in clinics without the employer’s presence. You can log on to MOM’s MDW eservice to check the previous 6ME date and the MDW’s medical results.

The cost of a basic 6ME typically ranges from $28 to $35. Whereas, a more comprehensive test comprising of HIV screening, malaria testing, and a chest x-ray can cost between $60 and $90.

Estimated Cost: About $460, assuming the cheapest medical plan and 2xbasic 6ME tests.

Read Also: Mandatory Medical Insurance Coverage For Foreign Workers: What Are The Minimum Requirements For Work Permit (including Migrant Domestic Workers) And S Pass Holders 

One-Off Lump Sum Cost

In addition to the monthly recurring cost, you must pay for other one-off expenses when employing a maid, namely insurance, airfare, medical screening, employment agency fees, and application fees.

If this is the first time you are employing a maid, and you don’t know anyone whom you wish to hire, then the easiest way to find suitable help will be to engage a maid agency. The right maid agency will help you source the right helper based on your requirements.

An agency will also handle most of the applications or guide you through them, such as work permit applications, medical screening, airfare, and insurance requirements. Most maid agencies will charge a fixed cost for their services. You can generally expect to pay between $1,000 to $3,000 for their services with an average of about $2,500 (including insurance, airfare and MOM application fee) for your MDW.

To lower your cost, you can consider opting for a maid transfer. This is when you get a maid who is already employed by another household in Singapore, as opposed to one who is flying in from her home country which costs more. However, check the reason for the transfer. You can also consider getting your own maid insurance policy for your MDW if you prefer or if you do not intend to find a helper through an agency.

Estimated Cost: $3,000 for typical airfare, insurance and application fees (we assumed a higher fee due to to err on the side of caution).

Placement Fee/Maid Loan

Most maid agencies have a placement fee component, sometimes also known as a maid loan. This is basically an amount that you loan to the maid agency on behalf of the maid. Think of this as what the maid is paying the agency to work in Singapore. This covers pre-employment expenses such as training and medical examinations.

The placement fee and maid loan are not considered expenses since you will receive the loan back through deductions made from the maid’s salary in the initial months.

Some maid agencies charge a placement fee equivalent to up to 5 months of the maid’s salary. This is not allowed, and as responsible employers, we need to be aware that our prospective FDW should not pay more than two months (for a 2-year contract) as a placement fee to Singapore maid agencies.

Do note that unfortunately, MOM cannot regulate the fees charged in the workers’ home countries. So it’s still technically possible that while the Singapore agency only charges two months of salary as a placement fee, the FDW may have already agreed to pay more to the agency in her home country. Employers can check with the Singapore maid agencies to ensure that their FDW isn’t paying more than what’s stipulated.

Total Cost Of Engaging A Maid – Over A Period of 2 Years

If you add up the monthly recurring cost ($1,196 per month) to the one-off lump sum cost (about $3,000), you should expect to spend at least $31,700 over a period of 2 years, or nearly $1,350 per month. This should be taken as an estimate on the low end.

This is an amount that you and your family should carefully budget for before you proceed to engage a maid.

Remember the costs can increase. For example, you should consider the following costs after two years:

– If you no longer intend to extend your MDW’s work permit, you must purchase a one-way ticket back home for her. This may cost you a few hundred dollars.

– You need to set aside a $5,000 security bond for each non-Malaysian maid you employ. This is typically included in your insurance package.

– At the end of your maid’s stint with you, you may also wish to give her an extra allowance for her years of service and dedication to helping your family.

Should the MDW’s employment be terminated within the first 6 months of employment, employers can seek a refund of at least 50% of the service fees paid to the maid employment agencies as long as the refund conditions are met. This refund policy usually applies only to the first three MDWs placed by the same employment agency with the same employer.

Lastly, if you’re hiring a MDW for the first-time, you must complete the Employers’ Orientation Programme (EOP) at least 2 working before submitting the WP application. You can take the EOP, which is a 3-hours course either physically in a classroom at a cost of $35 to $60 or online for $35.

Read Also: Guide To Buying Maid Insurance In Singapore

Switch, spend & score up to S$750 with DBS

Power up your payday with up to S$750! Credit your salary to DBS/POSB to get S$300. Apply & spend with DBS Live Fresh Card to earn up to S$450 more. Register by 30 June 2025. T&Cs apply.