Mbabane - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Household help is readily available and the local help generally revolve between outgoing and incoming families. Expertise and skill sets vary. For us, our nanny is excellent and does our shopping, cleans house, does laundry, and cooks. We pay between 250-350/month depending on overtime. We also employ a gardener. The embassy reimburses 80% of her salary. - Aug 2023
Almost every house has at least a nanny or cleaner and a gardener. There aren't really drivers for hire here, which is different than almost everywhere else we have served (and makes coordinating school drop-offs and pick ups much more difficult, because the embassy is about 30 minutes away). We pay around 400 USD a month for a live-in nanny, 200 for the gardener. I think we pay higher than most the other families. - Oct 2019
It's very easy to find household help, and the cost is about US$200-$250 per month for a full-time helper. Many of the housekeepers have worked for American families for years and take on a new assignment when their current family leaves. - Mar 2015
It is easy to find help. I pay my nanny/maid about $250/month for 5 days and my gardner $200/month for 4 days. I think that is average for the embassy community. - Feb 2011
Great availability. Cost is between 120-320 USD per month. - May 2010
Readily available and inexpensive. We pay our housekeeper outrageously at US$150 a month for full time. Most housekeepers and gardeners get about $100 per month. - Mar 2008
