Where to find a cleaner, housekeeper or nanny — from on-demand apps to live-in agencies — what each costs, live-in versus live-out, the work-permit rules that matter, and how to vet before you hire. Rates are 2026 guide ranges in Thai baht (≈ THB 35–36 = USD 1).
Household help is affordable and widely used in Bangkok, which is one of the quiet luxuries of expat life here. You can book a vetted cleaner by the hour through an app, bring in a weekly maid, or hire a full-time live-in housekeeper or nanny for a fraction of what it would cost back home. The trade-off is choosing the right channel for the job and vetting carefully — especially for anyone living in or minding children. Below: where to find help, what it costs, what's usually included, live-in versus live-out, the visa and work-permit rules to know, and how to vet. For in-home childcare specifically, pair this with the Bangkok childcare & nurseries guide, and for the wider picture the Thailand domestic helpers overview.
Five routes cover almost every situation. Many expats start with an app or a condo referral for part-time cleaning, then move to an agency or a trusted direct hire once they know what they need.
| Route | Best for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning apps / platforms (BeNeat) | Part-time & one-off cleans | Book a vetted, insured cleaner by the hour through an English-language app. You pay per visit with no employment relationship — the simplest, lowest-commitment option for regular or one-off cleaning. |
| Domestic-staff agencies | Live-in maids, housekeepers & nannies | Agencies screen, reference-check and place full-time staff, usually for a placement fee of roughly half to one month's salary. Best when you want a vetted live-in helper or a nanny (phi liang) and prefer someone else to handle background checks. |
| Condo & building referrals | Cheap part-time cleaning | Many condos have cleaners who already service several units in the building. It's the cheapest, most convenient route and comes with informal word-of-mouth vouching from neighbours — ask your juristic office or fellow residents. |
| Expat groups & classifieds | Direct hire, lowest cost | Facebook expat groups, LINE groups and classifieds are full of maids advertising directly or being recommended by departing expats. Cheapest of all, but you do all the vetting, reference-checking and paperwork yourself. |
| Your landlord or agent | Trusted introductions | Landlords and rental agents often know a reliable cleaner or maid who already works in the building or nearby — a low-risk starting point when you first move in. |
Indicative rates for 2026. App-based part-time cleaning is priced by the hour; full-time and live-in help is a monthly salary. Figures are a guide only.
| Type of help | Rate (guide) |
|---|---|
| Part-time cleaner via app (per hour, 2–3 hr min) | THB 250–400 / hour |
| One-off deep clean (per visit) | THB 1,500–3,500 |
| Weekly live-out maid (once a week, ~4 hrs) | THB 2,500–5,000 / month |
| Daily live-out maid (full-time, ~6 days) | THB 12,000–18,000 / month |
| Live-in maid / housekeeper | THB 12,000–20,000 / month + room & board |
| English-speaking or cook/childcare live-in | THB 15,000–25,000+ / month |
| Nanny-housekeeper (phi liang) | THB 15,000–30,000 / month |
Live-in salaries assume you provide a maid's room, meals and utilities. Expect to pay more for English fluency, cooking, newborn experience or a driving licence, and budget for an agency placement fee (often half to one month's salary) plus a customary year-end bonus for long-term staff.
Standard cleaning duties are similar everywhere; the disputes come from unspoken assumptions. Settle scope, hours and add-ons before day one.
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Usually included | General cleaning, mopping and dusting, laundry and ironing, washing up, making beds, tidying and taking out rubbish. |
| Common add-ons (agree upfront) | Cooking and meal prep, grocery shopping, childcare or elderly care, pet care and dog-walking, plant watering, and running small errands. |
| Clarify before you start | Scope, hours and days, whether cleaning products and equipment are provided, overtime, and what happens on public holidays and when you travel. |
Live-in help stays in a maid's room — a feature of many Bangkok condos and houses — and is available across the day, usually at a lower effective hourly cost. In return you provide lodging and meals and accept less household privacy; it suits larger homes, families needing childcare, and anyone wanting all-day cover. Live-out help commutes in for set hours or days, protects your privacy and is simpler to end, but costs more per hour and isn't there for emergencies. Couples and smaller households who mainly want regular cleaning usually prefer live-out; families and big households lean live-in. If a maid's room matters to you, factor it into your home search — see where to live in Bangkok.
Most domestic helpers in Bangkok are Thai nationals, who need no special paperwork from you. Migrant workers — most commonly Burmese — must hold valid work documents, and a foreign (non-Thai) helper such as a Filipino housekeeper legally requires a proper work permit and matching visa; employing an undocumented foreign worker is illegal and carries real risk for both sides. Thailand also gives domestic workers baseline rights — a weekly day off, public holidays, paid annual leave and a minimum working age — which you should treat as the floor. Rules and enforcement change, so use a reputable agency for any foreign or migrant staff and confirm the current requirements before hiring. This is general information for relocation planning, not legal advice.
A little diligence prevents almost every bad hire, especially for live-in and childcare roles. The essentials:
| Step | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Check references | Ask for one or two previous employers and actually call them. A helper with no contactable references is the single biggest red flag for a live-in or full-time role. |
| Verify ID | See a Thai ID card or, for Burmese and other migrant workers, a passport and valid work documents. Reluctance to show ID is a warning sign. |
| Run a paid trial | Do a paid trial day or a one-to-two-week probation before committing to a live-in arrangement. It's the fastest way to judge reliability, thoroughness and fit. |
| Agree scope & pay in writing | Put duties, hours, salary, day off, holidays and any bonus in a simple written agreement (even a LINE message) so expectations are clear on both sides. |
| Prefer vetted channels for live-in | For a live-in maid or nanny, an agency that does background checks — or a strong personal referral — is worth the placement fee over an anonymous classified ad. |
Treat no contactable references, cash-only demands, reluctance to show ID, and over-promised English as warning signs. For a live-in maid or nanny, a paid trial period and a background-checking agency are worth far more than the lowest advertised rate.
English-speaking helpers are scarcer and cost more, so many expat households run day to day on basic English, a few learned Thai phrases and a translation app — which works fine for cleaning and simple errands. If a helper will also mind children, clear communication matters far more: decide whether you want an English-speaking nanny, a bilingual Thai–English helper who gives your child daily Thai exposure, or a Filipino nanny (where legally employed with a work permit) for stronger English. For dedicated childcare and nanny options, see the Bangkok childcare guide, and budget the whole household with the Bangkok cost-of-living guide.
It depends on hours and whether they live in. A part-time cleaner booked through an app like BeNeat runs about THB 250–400 an hour (usually a 2–3 hour minimum), and a one-off deep clean THB 1,500–3,500. A weekly live-out maid is roughly THB 2,500–5,000 a month; a full-time daily live-out maid THB 12,000–18,000; and a live-in maid or housekeeper about THB 12,000–20,000 a month plus room and board. English-speaking staff or those who also cook or mind children command THB 15,000–25,000+ , and a dedicated nanny-housekeeper (phi liang) THB 15,000–30,000. These are 2026 guide ranges (≈ THB 35–36 = USD 1) — confirm current rates locally.
There are five common routes. For part-time or one-off cleaning, on-demand apps such as BeNeat let you book a vetted, insured cleaner by the hour with no employment relationship. For a full-time or live-in maid, nanny or housekeeper, a domestic-staff agency will screen and place someone for a placement fee. Cheaper still are condo and building referrals (cleaners who already service your building), and direct hires through expat Facebook or LINE groups and classifieds — cheapest of all, but you do the vetting yourself. Your landlord or rental agent is often a good first introduction too.
Thai nationals doing domestic work don't need anything special from you. Migrant workers — most commonly Burmese — must hold valid work documents, and a foreign (non-Thai) helper such as a Filipino housekeeper legally requires a proper work permit and visa; employing an undocumented foreign worker is illegal and risky. Because rules and enforcement change, use a reputable agency for foreign or migrant staff and confirm the current requirements before you hire — this guide is general information, not legal advice.
A live-in maid stays in a maid's room (many Bangkok condos and houses have one) and is available across the day, usually at a lower effective hourly cost — but you provide lodging and food and have less household privacy. A live-out maid commutes in for set hours or days, gives you more privacy, and costs more per hour. Live-in suits large households, families needing childcare, or anyone wanting all-day cover; live-out suits smaller homes and couples who just want regular cleaning.
Match the channel to the role. Apps (BeNeat) are best for part-time and one-off cleaning — vetted, insured, pay-per-visit and easy to cancel. Agencies are best for full-time and live-in roles where screening, references and a replacement guarantee matter, in exchange for a placement fee. Direct hiring through referrals or expat groups is cheapest and gives you the most control, but you handle vetting, pay and any paperwork yourself. Many expats start with an app or a condo referral, then move to an agency or a trusted direct hire once they know what they need.
Thailand's rules on domestic workers give live-in and full-time staff basic entitlements such as a weekly day off, public holidays and paid annual leave, and set a minimum working age — treat these as the floor, not the ceiling. Tipping isn't obligatory, but a year-end (‘13th-month') bonus of around one month's pay is customary for long-serving live-in helpers, along with small gifts or tips for extra work. Being generous, clear and respectful about days off and pay is both expected and the best way to keep good help long term.
This guide is general information for relocation planning, not legal, employment or financial advice. Rates, agency fees, work-permit rules and domestic-worker regulations change — confirm current details directly with each agency, platform or a qualified adviser before you hire.
Help sorted — now match a condo and area to your budget, line up childcare, and get utilities and internet running.
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