Thailand domestic helper salary benchmark 2026
A benchmark of domestic helper pay in Thailand compiled from named public agency listings and expat guides, anchored to the statutory minimum wage. The legal floor is ฿400/day in Bangkok and top-tier provinces since 1 July 2025; market live-in maid pay runs ฿12,000–20,000/month. Last compiled June 2026.
The bullet answer. This is a benchmark, not a survey. We compiled it from named public sources — agency listings (Kiidu, Ayasan, bluuu, Fambear) and expat guides (BKK Kids, ExpatDen) — anchored to the statutory minimum wage. The only legally binding figure is the floor: ฿400 per day in Bangkok and the top-tier provinces since 1 July 2025. Market live-in maid pay runs ฿12,000–20,000 per month. Every market figure below is an indicative range. Last compiled June 2026.
The legal minimum — the only binding number
Start here, because it is the one figure on this page that is law rather than market practice. Since 30 April 2024, Ministerial Regulation No. 15 (B.E. 2567) makes the provincial daily minimum wage apply to domestic workers, Thai and migrant alike. There is no special domestic-worker rate. The worker is owed the rate in force where the work is performed.
| Statutory floor | Rate | Implied monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Bangkok & top-tier provinces (Phuket, Chonburi, Rayong, Chachoengsao, Koh Samui district of Surat Thani) | ฿400/day | ~฿8,800 (22 days) to ~฿10,400 (26 days) |
| National range, lower tiers | ฿337–฿400/day | ~฿7,400 to ~฿10,400 |
| National floor (Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala) | ฿337/day | ~฿7,400 (22 days) |
Source: Thai Ministry of Labour, Wage Committee Notification No. 14, effective 1 July 2025 (฿400/day in Bangkok and the top-tier provinces; national range ฿337–฿400). The application to domestic workers comes from Ministerial Regulation No. 15 (B.E. 2567), effective 30 April 2024. The monthly figures are arithmetic from the daily rate; they are not separate statutory amounts. No 2026 minimum-wage change was confirmed as of June 2026.
In-kind benefits do not count toward the floor. Food, a room and utilities sit on top of the cash wage, not in place of it. Offering a live-in maid ฿8,000/month in Bangkok "plus room and board" is below the statutory minimum, even though the room is real. For the full rule, see the minimum-wage explainer.
The tension worth naming: typical market pay already sits above this floor. The benchmark below shows where the market actually lands. Treat the floor as the legal line you cannot drop below, and the market ranges as what you should expect to pay to hire someone in practice.
Live-in and live-out maids, Bangkok
These are the most-cited ranges across the public sources. Every figure is an asking-rate range, not transaction data.
| Arrangement | Indicative range (THB/month) |
|---|---|
| Live-in full-time maid, direct (incl. room + food) | ฿12,000–15,000 |
| Live-in full-time maid, agency mid-range | ฿15,000–20,000 |
| Live-out / commuting full-time maid | ฿15,000–18,000 |
Sources: bluuu (live-in ฿12,000–15,000; live-out ฿15,000–18,000); Kiidu 2025 hiring guide and Ayasan candidate listings (agency mid-range ฿15,000–20,000). Asking-rate ranges, not a survey.
The English-language premium
Whether a maid speaks English is the clearest single driver of the range, and the one expat guides quantify most consistently.
| Maid, by language | Indicative range (THB/month) |
|---|---|
| With English | ฿14,000–16,000 |
| Without English | ฿12,000–14,000 |
Source: BKK Kids salary guide for domestic helpers. Indicative estimate.
Part-time and day maids
Part-time work is usually quoted by the hour rather than the month.
| Format | Indicative rate |
|---|---|
| Part-time / day maid, hourly | ฿150–300/hr |
Sources: BKK Kids and Kiidu (freelance direct-hire clusters at the lower end ฿150–200/hr; agency part-time runs ฿150–300/hr). Indicative estimate.
Nannies and yayas
Childcare pays more than general cleaning, and the spread is wider because experience, education and language stack on top of each other. Treat the premium end as indicative; the upper figures come from agency listings rather than a wage survey.
| Nanny / yaya tier | Indicative range (THB/month) |
|---|---|
| Live-in nanny, typical | ฿15,000–25,000 |
| Nanny, newborn, with English | ฿18,000–25,000 |
| Nanny, newborn, without English | ฿12,000–22,000 |
| Premium nanny | ฿30,000–70,000 |
Sources: Fambear and Kiidu (live-in typical ฿15,000–25,000; premium ฿30,000–70,000); BKK Kids (newborn with/without English ฿18,000–25,000 / ฿12,000–22,000). The premium tier is an indicative estimate from agency listings, not survey data.
Agency placement fees
The placement fee is separate from the monthly wage. It is a one-time cost, paid by the employer, that covers vetting and training.
| Item | Indicative range (THB) |
|---|---|
| Full agency placement fee (vetting + training) | ฿6,000–25,000 |
Source: Kiidu 2025 hiring guide. One-time fee paid by the employer.
Upcountry and rural
Outside Bangkok and the top-tier provinces, rates fall. The one range we have is anecdotal, so we flag it as low confidence rather than presenting it as a firm figure.
| Region | Indicative range (THB/month) | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Live-in maid, upcountry / rural (Chiang Mai & rural) | ฿7,000–10,000 | Low — indicative only |
Source: bluuu (anecdotal regional range). Low confidence; treat as indicative only. Note the statutory floor still applies wherever the work is performed.
Nationality — tiers, not a precise grid
This is the section most often over-claimed elsewhere, so read the limit first. No public survey ties wage to nationality within the domestic sector. The ordering is well sourced and consistent across agency pages and expat forums; the exact baht gaps are anecdotal. We present nationality as a tier driver, not a precise table.
| Tier | Who | Indicative range (THB/month) |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | Filipino (English-fluent, experienced) | Maids ฿26,000–50,000+; nannies ฿28,000–70,000 |
| Mid | Thai | ~฿12,000–18,000 |
| Budget | Burmese, Lao, Cambodian | ~฿7,000–15,000 |
Sources: Kiidu premium-nanny breakdown and expat-forum triangulation (Angloinfo, Ask Thailand). Ordering is well sourced (Filipino > Thai > Burmese); the exact THB gaps are anecdotal and indicative. No public survey ties wage to nationality.
Two cautions on the Filipino tier. First, the Filipino DMW deployment floor of USD 500 (≈ ฿17,500) is a contract minimum for approved deployment corridors, not a Thai market rate — do not read it as the going rate in Bangkok. Second, a Filipino national cannot lawfully be hired by a private Thai household as a maid. Before treating the premium tier as an option, read Can a Filipino legally work as a maid in Thailand?
How we compiled this
These numbers come from two kinds of named public source: agency listings (Kiidu, Ayasan, bluuu, Fambear) and expat guides (BKK Kids, ExpatDen). They are asking-rate ranges — what agencies and guides quote — not transaction data from a wage survey. We did not run a survey, weight any sample, or commission any partner to collect figures. Where a range comes from a single source or from forum triangulation, we have labelled it an indicative estimate or marked it low confidence.
The only legally binding figure here is the statutory minimum wage, set by Wage Committee Notification No. 14 and applied to domestic workers by MR 15. Everything else is market practice that sits above that floor. This benchmark was last compiled in June 2026; rates change, and the "last updated" date tells you the vintage of the figures. For how we research and cite everything on this site, see our methodology.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum legal wage for a maid in Thailand?
How much does a live-in maid in Bangkok cost?
Do Filipino helpers cost more?
How much is an agency placement fee?
Is this salary page a survey?
Primary sources
- Thai Ministry of Labour, Wage Committee Notification No. 14 (effective 1 July 2025)
- ILO — 2024 Thai Regulations on Domestic Work (MR 15 employer factsheet)
- Kiidu — 2025 Maid Service Bangkok Hiring Guide & Costs
- Ayasan — Premium Nanny service & candidate listings
- bluuu — Good Monthly Salary for Maids in Thailand
- BKK Kids — Salary Guide for Domestic Helpers
- ExpatDen — Maid and Nanny in Thailand
- Fambear — Nanny Cost in Bangkok (2026 guide)
Keep reading
Minimum wage in Thailand, 2026
The minimum wage in Bangkok is ฿400/day, effective 1 July 2025 and still current in June 2026. The old ฿372/day figure is stale. Since 30 April 2024, MR 15 (B.E. 2567) makes this minimum legally apply to domestic workers, Thai and migrant, implying a monthly floor near ฿8,800 in Bangkok. National range: ฿337 to ฿400/day.
How to hire a maid in Thailand: the 2026 guide
Two facts decide a Thai maid hire: who you can legally employ (Thai needs no permit; foreign workers only via the MOU channel with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam; a Filipino household maid is not lawful) and the two non-negotiable documents — an MR 15 contract and, for migrants, a work permit. Budget a live-in Bangkok maid at roughly 15,000–25,000 baht/month all-in.
The true cost of hiring a maid in Thailand
The full cost stack to hire a maid in Bangkok: salary (advertised at roughly 12,000–20,000 baht/month, statutory floor 400 baht/day), MOU work-permit fees of about 3,700–4,200 baht paid by the employer, food and accommodation in kind for live-in, and a one-off agency placement fee. Permit costs verified; salary and agency figures labelled estimates.