Yaounde - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
This depends on what you require your household help to do, if just housekeeping, the price can be negotiated, but if nanny services or cooking is required, it would be more costly. - Feb 2023
Available. $350/month on average for a cook/house keeper. - Feb 2022
We have a housekeeper/nanny who watches the kids after school and takes care of the house 40 hours/week. We pay roughly US $300/mo and understand that is a good price. We also have a gardener who comes 2x per week and makes US $125 per mo. He cleans the car (weekly as it is a very dusty place), grows some veggies, and maintains the beautifully landscaped tropical yard. Many people also hire drivers, and if they have kids, nannies. - Jan 2020
Household help is very reasonable; we pay about US$300 a month for a full time housekeeper. Our gardener is part-time and is paid about US$150/ month. Some people employ drivers, but I never saw the need for it. Parking is a nightmare, so a driver would certainly make that easier. - Jun 2018
Household help is readily available. Quality varies, but many people have been very happy with their employees. Housekeepers are almost universally employed, as the houses get very dusty in dry season if they aren't regularly cleaned. Most people with kids have nannies. Those with yards usually have pools. Many have cooks (or let their maids cook), but it can be hard to find someone who knows foreign cuisine. Several people have drivers, too, since Cameroon generally restricts diplomatic families to one duty-free vehicle. Cost varies, but roughly $10-15 per day is a reasonable estimate. - Apr 2017
Domestic help is readily available with recommendations from previous mission personnel. It's relatively inexpensive based on the number of days in the week they work. I know of no housekeepers who live on their employers' compound. Some know how to cook, most don't. - Apr 2014
We had a driver and a housekeeper/cook. It was about US$250 a month per person and then some added on benefits like transportation allowance, toiletries, etc. - Jan 2014
PROBLEM!!! Hygiene, quality of work, comprehension. Need to observe and teach or expect to get stained clothes, floors washed with dirty water, bathroom sponges/cleaners used for other parts of the house. We have someone come in 3 days per week, 4 hours per day and do not let her enter the kitchen. - May 2012
Help is cheap and good. - Sep 2011
Readily available and quite cheap. My housekeeper works 5 days a week for about $200 per month. It is not unusual for one family to have a housekeeper, nanny, driver, cook, and gardener. - Mar 2010
The only thing cheap here is labor. Domestic help is from 150-250$ per month. - Jan 2010
Very available and very inexpensive. I pay my housekeeper about US$150 a month and that is a good wage. - Nov 2008
Very available - US$100- 400 a month depending on how much you overpay. Domestics working for Cameroonian household get as little at US$50. - Sep 2008
Cheap and knocking on your gate when you arrive. Choose carefully. About US$200 a month for full time housekeeper/cook and same for driver. - Jun 2008
Pushy and affordable. US$150-$300 month/full time. Be patient and selective. - Jun 2008
