Hiring domestic helpers in Thailand: maids, nannies, cooks & drivers

Why this belongs in your housing plan

For many people relocating to Thailand, the affordability of help is one of the quiet upgrades to daily life — a weekly clean, a cook a few nights, a nanny for the school run, all at a fraction of what they’d cost back home. But it’s a hiring decision with real obligations attached, and it’s tied to where you live: the type of home (condo vs house vs serviced apartment), your building’s rules on staff, and even your TM30 address reporting if a helper moves in. Think of it the way you’d think about utilities or the lease — something to scope before you commit, not improvise afterwards. None of this is legal advice; rules and rates change, so confirm specifics with the authorities and sources named below.

The roles — and what each typically costs

“Domestic helper” covers several distinct jobs, and the rate tracks the skill, hours and language involved. Indicative Bangkok-area ranges (they run lower up-country and higher for experienced, English-speaking staff):

• Part-time cleaner (by the visit): roughly 400–600 baht for a few hours, often via an app or a building’s recommended cleaner.
• Full-time live-out maid (cleaning, laundry, light cooking, errands): around 12,000–20,000 baht a month.
• Live-in maid (room and board provided): often a similar 12,000–18,000 baht cash wage, since accommodation and meals offset it.
• Nanny / childcare, especially English-speaking: commonly 18,000–35,000+ baht, depending on experience and hours.
• Cook or cook-housekeeper: from the maid range upward, more for trained or Western-cuisine cooks.
• Driver (own or household car): typically 15,000–25,000+ baht, with overtime conventions for long days.

These are starting points, not quotes — agree the number, the exact hours and what’s included before anyone starts. Our cost-of-living guide places household help in the wider monthly budget.

Agency vs direct hire

There are two routes, and the trade-off is convenience and vetting against cost.

Visas and work permits — who can legally do this work

This is the part foreigners most often get wrong. Any non-Thai doing paid work in Thailand — including cleaning, nannying or cooking for a household — needs the correct visa and a work permit. You cannot lawfully pay a foreign friend on a tourist entry to help around the house.

• In practice the domestic-help market is overwhelmingly Thai, for whom no work permit is involved — though you still have employer duties (see section 05).
• The sector also employs registered migrant workers from neighbouring countries, who must hold proper work documentation; hiring an undocumented worker exposes both sides to penalties.
• If you hold a DTV, retirement or other long-stay visa, that governs your stay — it has no bearing on a Thai helper’s right to work for you.

Rules and categories change — verify current requirements with the Department of Employment before hiring any non-Thai. See our visa-holder housing guide for how your own visa interacts with where you live.

Contracts, rights and social security

The sector runs informally, but it isn’t lawless. Thai labour protection extends certain rights to domestic workers, and a written agreement protects everyone.

• Statutory rights: domestic workers are entitled to things like weekly rest days, public holidays, paid sick leave and annual leave — even in an informal arrangement.
• A simple written agreement covering wage, hours, duties, days off, overtime and notice prevents most disputes — essential for live-in or childcare roles.
• Social security: registration becomes an employer duty in a formal employment relationship. Many agencies handle it for you; a direct hire may not be registered, but check your obligations rather than assuming.
• Notice and final pay: agree how much notice each side gives and how a final month and any accrued bonus are settled.

Thresholds and enforcement change — confirm your specific position with the Social Security Office or your agency. This is general information, not legal advice.

The 13th-month bonus, tipping and raises

Year-end generosity is part of the culture and part of the real cost of help. Plan for it rather than be surprised by it:

• A customary “13th-month” bonus of roughly one month’s salary is widely expected, usually around Songkran (Thai New Year, April) or the Western New Year.
• Festival gestures — a gift, a meal, covering transport home — matter more than their cost and build long-term loyalty.
• A fair annual raise keeps a good helper; replacing and re-training someone you trust costs far more than a modest increase.

Your condo building's rules on staff

Where you live shapes how help works day to day. Most condominium juristic offices have a domestic-staff policy — ask about it before you hire:

• Helpers usually must be registered at the front desk and may get an access card or be signed in as a recurring visitor, within the building’s hours.
• Some buildings route staff through service lifts or require the resident to authorise each visit.
• For a live-in helper, confirm your lease and the building permit an extra long-term occupant, and check whether it affects juristic registration or your TM30 reporting.
• In a condo, common-area and noise rules apply to your staff as much as to you — brief them early.

Vetting — trust and safety

You’re handing someone the keys to your home and, sometimes, the care of your children. Vet accordingly:

The same instinct that protects you from a rental scam applies here: verify, get it in writing, and don’t skip references because someone seems nice.

Where this fits in your costs and daily life

Household help is one line in a bigger picture. Our cost-of-living guide sets a maid or nanny alongside rent, utilities, food and transport across realistic lifestyle tiers, the moving-with-family guide covers the childcare and schooling side, and the condo-living guide explains the building dynamics your staff will work within. For the move itself, see the first-30-days guide.

Frequently asked