Surabaya - 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 inexpensive and often of excellent quality. The monthly minimum wage (which most domestic staff are paid) is about US$230 as of this writing. Many consulate families employ drivers, nannies, and housekeepers. - Nov 2018
Moderate. About US$200 per person per month if you are a humane employer. You can get by with much less, but why? - Oct 2015
There's always domestic help available. The quality varies significantly, however. If you have dogs, your options will be severely limited. Costs: Housekeeper/Cook: IDR 1.6-2.0 million/month Driver: IDR 1.7-2.2 million/month Nanny: IDR 2.2-2.5 million/month Gardener: IDR 50,000/day (weekly or semi-monthly) - Apr 2015
Inexpensive: live-in maids $100-$120 per month, live-in Nanny $120-$160 per month. - Oct 2012
We paid about $150 - $200 for domestic help a month. We also had a driver whom we paid about the same, so overall it wasn't over $400 a month. Honestly, this is something that really bothered me. Many expats spend a lot of time trying to find the best deal for their help, but we didn't look at it that way. These people are so poor, and it just didn't feel right to try to get them to work for us for cheaper rates. - May 2012
Domestic help is available for $100-$150/month. Many will hire a driver and a domestic helper. A driver is strongly recommended if you have a car--the traffic is as bad as anything you can possibly imagine, with no concept of enforcement, safety, or even lane controls. - Oct 2010
Readily available and pretty cheap. Salaries paid by expats are around $100/month for full-time help. Live-in help available as well. - Aug 2009
