What a live-in maid really costs: a first-year budget

You pay her salary, government fees, insurance and what the Domestic Workers Decree-Law (No. 9 of 2022) requires, such as her housing. We found no official total. On 29 September 2026, the 99 helpers available on MaidMatch had a median asking salary of AED 3,000 a month, as did the 13 who want only live-in work.

The government fees here come mainly from two federal bodies. MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, issues her work permit. ICP, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, publishes the residence fees, including its guarantee. The government's Work Bundle portal sends Dubai employers to the DubaiNow app for domestic-worker services, and links the other emirates to ICP's smart services.

This budget is for a helper you sponsor yourself, so she is on your own file, and it assumes you're an expatriate resident. ICP lists its guarantee for foreign-resident sponsors, and MOHRE's renewal fee tiers for UAE and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) citizens and diplomats are lower and don't include it.

A recruitment office's Temporary or Flexible package works differently. Under MOHRE's operations manual for recruitment agencies, the agency sponsors the worker in the Temporary package and holds the worker's visa in the Flexible package, and in both it pays the worker's salary, legal entitlements and medical costs. If you use one, ask the office what its package price covers; our guide to choosing between an agency and a direct hire compares the routes.

How much does a live-in maid cost in her first year?

It depends on the salary you agree, your emirate and whether she is already in the UAE, and we found no official total. Here is each line with its source and date. Use it as a checklist, and fill in the lines with no published figure yourself, from written quotes where you can:

ICP's residence permit page (opens in a new tab) was last updated on 11 December 2024. Its fee list covers several kinds of residence and gives no total for a domestic worker, so check which fees apply to her before you pay, and if anyone files for you, ask what their quote includes. Our maid visa cost guide explains each government fee.

How much salary does a live-in maid ask for?

On MaidMatch, a median of AED 3,000 a month. That was the median asking salary of the 13 available helpers who want only live-in work on 29 September 2026, and of all 99 available helpers. The 37 open to live-in or live-out work had a lower median, AED 2,500, on the same date.

The middle half, the range the middle 50% of helpers fall in, shows the spread. On 29 September 2026, it ran from AED 2,000 to AED 3,500 for the 13 live-in-only helpers, and from AED 2,500 to AED 3,000 for the 37 open to either. With only 13 live-in-only profiles, treat the live-in figures as a rough guide.

These are asking salaries on MaidMatch on one date, not a market survey or an official figure, and they aren't split by emirate. Each helper lists her own salary range on her profile. We used the bottom of each helper's range, from every public profile that was active and marked available. Our salary guide has the full breakdown, including by nationality.

Her salary is yours and hers to agree. The UAE sets no statutory minimum wage for domestic workers, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in its May 2024 summary of UAE rules. Any floor comes from her home country and applies only to contracts verified through that country's system; our guide to minimum salaries by nationality covers the countries' rules.

Plan her pay from the right day. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker's wages are owed from the day the worker enters the UAE or changes status, so for a helper coming from abroad, her pay starts before her residence is complete. A domestic worker's wages must be paid monthly in UAE dirhams, within 10 days of the due date.

Which government fees do you pay in the first year?

As an expatriate sponsor, you pay ICP's guarantee, its residence permit and Emirates ID fees and MOHRE's permit fees, plus ICP's status adjustment fee if she is already in the UAE. The guarantee is the largest published one, and ICP doesn't say whether it is refundable, so budget for it as a cost. We found no published price for three first-year lines:

• MOHRE's permit fees. When we read its new permit card (opens in a new tab) on 29 September 2026, it listed fee categories for Dubai and for the other emirates, but no amounts.
• The domestic worker insurance policy. Before a work permit is issued, the employer must buy a domestic worker insurance policy that covers the worker's unpaid dues up to AED 20,000. It is separate from health insurance, and its premium isn't published on the official pages we checked.
• The medical fitness test. MOHRE's employer guide puts it after a helper from abroad arrives, with her Emirates ID biometrics and before her residence permit. Its fee isn't published on any official page we could read. For a helper already in the UAE, we found no official page that says whether she needs a new one; ask MOHRE on 600 590000.

Her home country may add costs of its own if she is recruited from abroad, so check its rules with her embassy or labour office before you commit.

Sponsorship is the employer's responsibility; families can manage the visa themselves or ask MaidMatch to connect them with its visa partners. MaidMatch's visa partner offers a two-year employment visa, with the visa, medical test, Emirates ID and insurance handled end to end. Ask the partner who sponsors her on that visa, what the two years cover and which lines of this budget its price includes. Our partners page has the details and the current price.

How much is health insurance for a maid in each emirate?

It depends on your emirate, and as of September 2026 we found a published price only for the basic package in the northern emirates. Health insurance is separate from the domestic worker insurance policy above:

• Dubai. You pay, under Dubai's health insurance law. In Dubai, employers must enrol their employees in health insurance, and sponsors must enrol the people they sponsor who have no employer cover; employers and sponsors pay the cost, may not charge it to the insured person, and must produce the policy when a residence permit is issued or renewed. We couldn't verify what a Dubai plan costs, so get quotes from insurers.
• Northern emirates. In Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, health insurance for domestic workers has been mandatory since 1 January 2025, paid by the employer; the basic package costs AED 320 a year. MOHRE's basic health insurance package for the northern emirates is valid for two years, and the second-year premium can be refunded if the visa is cancelled. The package also has co-payments and some exclusions, which our health insurance guide lists.
• Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi, as in every emirate, the employer must pay for a domestic worker's medical care under the UAE health system or provide health insurance under the applicable health laws. MOHRE's renewal service says that in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, employers are required to provide adequate medical insurance to their domestic workers. We found no official price for a plan there, so get quotes from insurers.

Our health insurance guide goes through each emirate's rules.

What must you provide for a live-in maid?

Her housing, and for a full-time helper her meals and work clothing, plus paid leave, a paid weekly day off and a ticket home, on the terms the Domestic Workers Decree-Law sets. As of September 2026, they are:

• Housing. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, the employer must provide a domestic worker with suitable accommodation. We found no official page that defines suitable accommodation or puts a figure on it; our guide to maid room requirements covers setting up her room.
• Meals and work clothing. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, the employer must provide a full-time domestic worker with meals and work clothing, unless they agree otherwise. We found no official figure for either.
• Paid leave. A domestic worker is entitled to at least 30 days' paid annual leave for each year of service. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker's annual leave is paid in full before the worker leaves.
• Her day off. A domestic worker is entitled to one paid day off a week. If a domestic worker works on the weekly day off, the employer must give another day off or pay cash instead.
• Ticket home. If a domestic worker spends annual leave in their home country, the employer pays for a return ticket once every two years. The law sets the duty, not the fare; our guide to annual leave and flight tickets has the detail.

The Decree-Law also says who bears these costs. An employer may not charge a domestic worker any cost, directly or indirectly, unless the law, the regulations, MOHRE decisions or the approved contract allow it.

What do you owe your maid when the contract ends?

Her final dues on time, her unused leave in cash and, unless an exception applies, her flight home. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law:

• When a domestic worker's contract expires, the employer must pay the worker's dues within 10 days.
• When a domestic worker's contract ends, unused annual leave is paid in cash, based on the last wage.
• The employer pays for a domestic worker's flight home, except that the agency pays when an agency-recruited worker is returned, a directly recruited worker who quits after probation without a valid reason pays their own unless they cannot, and the original employer does not pay when the worker moves to a new employer.

Gratuity is the open question. The Domestic Workers Decree-Law (No. 9 of 2022) does not itself set an end-of-service gratuity; Article 22 leaves the rules to the Cabinet. As of September 2026, we found no Cabinet decision that sets those rules, and the ILO said in May 2024 that they had not yet been determined, so we don't quote a formula or a figure. Check with MOHRE on 600 590000 before her contract ends; our guide to final dues, the flight home and gratuity has more.

What does the second year cost?

It starts with a renewal if her first permit ran for one year. MOHRE issues a domestic worker's permit for one year when the sponsor is an expatriate resident without a Golden Visa. As of September 2026, MOHRE's renewal fee table lists a resident employer at AED 5,215 under its one-year tier outside Dubai, and at AED 5,335.75 in Dubai, where it gives no term.

MOHRE says that, apart from federal charges, its domestic worker contract renewal is free on its website and smart app, and that its renewal fees exclude tax and collection charges. The resident fee appears to include ICP's yearly guarantee, so don't add the guarantee on top of it in your second-year budget.

MOHRE's conditions for renewing a domestic worker's employment contract include that the worker is inside the UAE, with a passport valid for at least three months, a valid medical fitness result, a medical insurance policy and an Emirates ID renewal application, so check they are in order in good time.

The timing can differ for a UAE citizen family. MOHRE issues a new domestic worker permit for up to two years when the sponsor is a UAE citizen. Our guide to renewing your maid's visa covers the steps and the other sponsors' fees.

Where does MaidMatch fit in your budget?

At the start, before any of these costs. MaidMatch is a free platform for families: they can browse every profile at no cost, with no registration or subscription required. Families contact helpers directly on WhatsApp, through the Hire button on each profile, so you can talk through her salary and what she expects before anything is agreed.

Most helpers listed on MaidMatch are already in the UAE and ready to work. A helper who is already here can move to your sponsorship from inside the country, so the status adjustment line in the table applies; our guide to hiring a helper already in the UAE covers each step.

Tap the WhatsApp button on this page if you would like us to connect you with our visa partner, or read how MaidMatch works first.