Maputo - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
You can employ household help very reasonably. We paid US $350/month for a full-time Empregada (maid,) and this was fairly high. Babas (Nannies,) can be hired for lower amounts and drivers hired for even less than that. None of these are a requirement for life here, but they are commonly employed. Be aware that theft and a lack of attention to detail seem common. We fired our Empregada after 18 months because she destroyed clothes, broke dishes, and simply did not listen. - Feb 2020
I pay about US$130 a month for 3 days a week. - Feb 2019
Readily available and approimately $200-$250/month for full-time maid. Gardeners work usually part-time, and you can usually have them take care of various things like dog-walking if you'd like. - Feb 2017
Typical help includes gardener, dog walker, driver, nanny, maid, and maybe a household manager. Cost depends on service but is generally cheap. Roughly $200 USD/month full-time. - Jan 2017
Widely available. Most hire empregadas (housekeepers) either full-time or part-time. We paid about US$100/month for a part-time empregada (3x/week) and US$250/month for a full-time nanny. - Jul 2014
It is fairly cheap, however, you get what you pay for. The work ethic is poor and the quality of work is also poor. As a result, you will invest a lot of time training someone. Labor laws favor the employee so dismissal is also difficult. There is a legal minimum wage but locals tend not to pay it while working their staff for long hours, so the expectation is that foreign employers will pay a lot more but for less work. Also, expect your employees to regularly ask for "loans" and "advances." Remember too, in December, employees expect a month's bonus. - Apr 2014
Cheap, but quality is tough, as the good ones get hired quickly. If you have the time and want to train them, then you can find a young person that is willing to have a job. I never saw more young men walking around going nowhere than in Maputo. - Oct 2012
In 2011, US$150-200 a month will get you six days a week of excellent help in the house. Gardeners are a bit less, and pool guys (if you're so lucky as to have a pool) are even less still (but they only work a couple hours a week.) - Jun 2011
Plenty and cheap. Not every worker is good, but with some patience you can find decent people. - May 2010
Domestic help is available - nannies, cooks, drivers, cleaners. Each costing between $150-$200 per month. - May 2009
Readily available at a reasonable cost. - Dec 2008
