Brasilia - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Cheap, everyone has a pool guy, gardener, and weekly maid. Plenty have full-time nannies as well. Never really heard any bad stories about theft or anything. - Jan 2024
Wide variety at decent prices. many employ "diaristas" that come part-time, and some get nannies. - Oct 2021
Household help is readily available and affordable. You can hire either a "diarista" - for daily work - or else a full time nanny. Costs are about $40 for half a day for a diarista. - May 2020
We have someone come once a week to do a thorough cleaning. She's very good and we pay her somewhere around US $175 per month. We don't have kids, but I know a lot of families have full time or part time nannies and are very satisfied with the quality of care. - May 2017
We pay our "diarista" (cleaning lady who comes 1 day/week) 175 Reais each day, which is a bit more than average. Other families with children often hire For families living in Lago Sul, it is typical to hire a gardener, as well. - May 2017
Cost of services is fairly inexpensive. Many have a diarista (maid) that comes 1 or 2x a week and families also have an empragada (nanny). Please speak with the embassy before hiring someone to ensure you fully understand the labor laws in Brazil. Depending on the number of days they come and the number of hours they work, you may be required to have an official contract. - Mar 2017
Plentiful and cheap. - May 2016
I don't know since we haven't hired anyone, but I see plenty of ads, so lots of choices. - Aug 2015
Diaristas, which are part-time (two days a week) maids, cost around R$120 - R$150 (about US$50 or less). Gardeners are around R$120-R150 per day and they tend to your yard, clean your patio and churrasco area (and wash your car if you want them to). Pool guys run between R$140-R$170 a month. - Aug 2015
It is available at about US$40/day. - Aug 2015
Part-time help (2 days a week or less) is pretty easy to find - cost is around R$100 per day. Full-time helpers are a bit harder to find and there are more regulations regarding salary and leave. Salary is somewhere around $R1000 to R$2000 per month. Most folks are able to find good help. - Jun 2014
Available for about R$6-10/hour, plus cost of transportation to and from the workplace, and several other labor law requirements if your employee works over a certain number of hours/week. - Sep 2012
Maid, about R$85 ($50us) per day, gardener, r$90 (60 us per day. Very available, and we've been lucky with great household help - Dec 2011
Moderate. Affordable. Easy to find. - Aug 2011
Lots of domestic is help available, and most of them are very qualified and trustworthy. We had a maid/cook/baba (we loved her!) working at our house M-F from 8 to 6, for around US$450/month (including transportation and social security). - Dec 2009
Readily available and affordable. They don't speak English, though. - Nov 2009
Full-time maids get an average of US$350 and up per month. - Jun 2009
Around US$600 per month full-time, or US$40 per day. - Aug 2008