Maid and nanny salaries in the UAE: what helpers ask for

On 29 September 2026, the 99 helpers available on MaidMatch had a median asking salary of AED 3,000 a month; the middle half asked between AED 2,500 and AED 3,500. The UAE sets no statutory minimum wage for domestic workers, the International Labour Organization's May 2024 summary of UAE rules says, so you agree the figure with her.

These are asking salaries on MaidMatch, not a market survey or an official figure. Each helper lists her own salary range on her profile. We took the bottom of each helper's range, the lowest salary she lists, from every public profile that was active and marked available on 29 September 2026.

Two terms come up throughout. The median is the figure in the middle when the helpers are lined up from the lowest asking salary to the highest. The middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile: the stretch of that line where the middle 50% of helpers sit. We publish a group only when it has at least 10 profiles.

How much do maids and nannies ask for in the UAE?

On MaidMatch, a median of AED 3,000 a month, across the 99 helpers available on 29 September 2026. Here is every group large enough to publish, with its sample size:

Do live-in and live-out helpers ask for different salaries?

Only at the lower end, in our data. On 29 September 2026, helpers who listed live-in only and helpers who listed live-out only had the same median asking salary, AED 3,000 a month (13 and 49 profiles). But the live-in group's middle half started lower: AED 2,000 to AED 3,500, against AED 2,500 to AED 3,500 for live-out (13 and 49 profiles, 29 September 2026).

Helpers open to either arrangement had a lower median: AED 2,500 a month, with a middle half of AED 2,500 to AED 3,000 (37 profiles, 29 September 2026). Our data doesn't show why. With only 13 live-in-only profiles, treat the live-in figures as a rough guide.

If a helper will live out, ask what her figure is meant to include, such as her transport, and agree the arrangement in writing. Our guide to live-in and live-out helpers compares the two arrangements, and you can browse live-in and live-out helpers.

Do maid salaries differ by nationality?

In our data, yes. On 29 September 2026, Filipina helpers had a median asking salary of AED 3,000 a month, with a middle half of AED 2,500 to AED 3,500 (61 profiles). Kenyan helpers had a median of AED 2,500 a month, and half of them asked exactly that (16 profiles, 29 September 2026).

No other nationality had 10 or more available profiles on that date, so we don't publish figures for other nationalities. Our data doesn't show why the two groups differ, so compare individual helpers on their experience and skills, not on nationality alone. Our guide to choosing a helper explains what to look at.

Home-country rules differ as well, and the minimum salary section below explains them. You can browse Filipina helpers and Kenyan helpers, and our guides to hiring a Filipino helper and Kenyan and Ugandan helpers cover each country's rules.

Do nannies ask for more than maids?

Our data can't separate them cleanly, because most helpers available on MaidMatch list both childcare and housework skills. Of the 99 helpers available on 29 September 2026, most listed newborn care and most listed cooking, so a nanny group would be almost the same helpers as the whole sample. Split by skill, their medians barely differ from the overall median of AED 3,000 (99 profiles, 29 September 2026).

So if you need a nanny, ask each helper about her childcare experience rather than going by a job title. You can browse nannies and helpers for newborn care, and our guide to newborn support options compares a maternity nurse, a night nanny and a live-in nanny.

Is there a minimum salary for a maid in the UAE?

Not in UAE law, as of September 2026. The UAE sets no statutory minimum wage for domestic workers, as the International Labour Organization (ILO) records in its May 2024 summary of UAE rules, and we found no minimum-wage provision in the Domestic Workers Decree-Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022). Any floor comes from the helper's home country, and it applies only to contracts verified through that country's system.

Don't confuse this with the income that MOHRE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, asks of expatriate sponsors. To sponsor a domestic worker, an expatriate resident needs a recent salary certificate showing a family income of at least AED 25,000. That's a condition for you as her sponsor, not a wage for her, and our guide to who can sponsor a maid covers it.

The Philippines sets one such floor. MWO Dubai, the Philippines' Migrant Workers Office in Dubai, serves Dubai and the northern emirates. For contract verification, MWO Dubai requires a Filipino domestic worker's contract to set a basic wage of at least AED 1,500 a month. If you live in Abu Dhabi, check the requirements with the Philippine Embassy.

We found no official Kenyan page that sets a minimum salary for Kenyan domestic workers in the UAE. Our guide to minimum salaries by nationality goes through each country's rules.

When and how must you pay a maid's salary?

Monthly, and with proof that you paid, under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law. A domestic worker's wages must be paid monthly in UAE dirhams, within 10 days of the due date, and MOHRE's employer guide says pay is due from the first day of the month until the 10th.

The law also covers when her pay starts and how you prove it. Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker's wages are owed from the day the worker enters the UAE or changes status. Payment of a domestic worker's wages must be proven by a written receipt or another method MOHRE approves, so keep a record of every payment.

Families often ask about the Wage Protection System (WPS). Paying a domestic worker through the Wage Protection System is mandatory for private trainers, private tutors, personal healthcare providers, personal PROs and private agricultural engineers, and optional for housemaids, nannies, cooks, drivers, housekeepers, gardeners, security guards and similar roles, according to MOHRE's employer guide and its WPS page as of September 2026. Our WPS guide explains how it works.

The Decree-Law also limits what you can take out of her pay. A court-ordered debt can be deducted from a domestic worker's wage up to a quarter of the wage, and the repair cost of loss or damage the worker caused can be deducted only with the worker's consent, or with MOHRE's approval if the worker refuses, and never more than a quarter of the salary. 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 pay on top of her salary?

Paid leave, a ticket home, insurance and her visa, among other things. If you employ and sponsor her yourself, these come on top of her salary:

• 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 ticket home. If a domestic worker spends annual leave in their home country, the employer pays for a return ticket once every two years, under the same law. Our guide to annual leave and flight tickets has the detail.
• Insurance. 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, under MOHRE's rules. Health insurance rules depend on your emirate, and our health insurance guide covers each one.
• Her visa. Our maid visa cost guide breaks down the government fees.

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, and what that period covers. Our partners page has the details and the current price.

Our guide to what a live-in maid really costs puts these together in a first-year budget.

How do you agree a salary with a helper?

Start from the range she lists, talk it through with her, and write the figure into her contract. Step by step:

1. Set a budget. Use the figures above as a guide, and sort available helpers by salary.
2. Compare more than the number. Look at each helper's experience alongside her asking salary, and ask about her skills and the languages she speaks.
3. Talk to her directly. Families contact helpers directly on WhatsApp, through the Hire button on each profile. Ask what her figure covers, especially if she will live out.
4. Agree her day off. A domestic worker is entitled to one paid day off a week under the Decree-Law, so settle which day before you agree the figure.
5. Put it in her contract. A domestic worker's contract must be on MOHRE's standard form and state, among other terms, the nature and place of the work and the worker's total pay and how it is paid, under the Decree-Law. Our contract guide covers the other terms.

How does MaidMatch help with salaries?

By showing each helper's asking salary up front. Each helper lists her own salary range on her profile. MaidMatch is a free platform for families: they can browse every profile at no cost, with no registration or subscription required.

When a helper's figure suits you, contact her from her profile, agree the details with her, and use the steps above to put them in writing. How MaidMatch works shows the three steps from browsing to contacting a helper.