Riyadh - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Many have housekeepers and/or nannies. Housekeepers typically make $9-10/hour. - Jul 2021
Domestic help was not so easy to find when we arrived; the CLO was at a total loss as to how we should go about getting somebody and said her list was completely out of date. Luckily a friend knew a Nepali man who did work for her, and I hired him. He left something to be desired in the small things like dusting but did the big jobs well, such as cleaning up the enormous amount of sand and dust that accumulate in just hours here. I paid him 300 SAR for a day's work, so around US$80 for eight hours. I also had a gardener to whom I paid more. Both of them worked for us the entire three years we were in Riyadh. - Oct 2017
30 SAR (about $8-9) is the current going rate and it's very easy to get a housekeeper, nanny, or both, full or part-time. - Jan 2017
Very available and very cheap. Those Filipino girls know about every new arrival and will descend on you like wasps on a pot of honey within a couple of days of your arrival. The quality of the help is spotty and you will need to supervise them. - May 2016
Yes. I don't know. - Nov 2015
Around 8 USD for an hour, widely available, but the quality is poor. - Oct 2015
Widely available. Everyone I know who had kids had a nanny, and everyone had a maid, some live-in, some once a week. Very cheap - Oct 2015
There are maids available, the rate is US$7-8/hr. But in my 20 years experience employing maids, the ones here are not competent. There is frequent turnover of maids in our community. Most are South East Asian and African. I have had 2 and both are/were not good (need to monitor very closely). - Jan 2015
Widely available, US$6.67 rate per hour for Filipinos (their mafia rate). - Sep 2014
Domestic help is not so easy to find. When we arrived, the CLO was at a total loss as to how we should go about getting somebody and said her list was completely out of date. Luckily a friend knew a man who does work for her, and I hired him. He leaves something to be desired in the small things like dusting, but he does the big jobs well, such as cleaning up the enormous amount of sand and dust that accumulate in just hours here. I pay him 300 SAR for a day's work, so around US$80 for eight hours. I also have a gardener who I pay more. - Mar 2014
I don't have but I understand it is available and affordable. - Dec 2013
Cheap and available. - Oct 2013
Available and cheap. Around SAR1000 a month for a part-time maid, and SAR2000 for a driver (essential for women, if they are not to be house-bound). - Mar 2013
Diplomatic families can sponsor a helper. It takes about 3 months to get clearance. Some helpers are available locally but it is hard to find a full time helper because they have to be sponsored by someone. It is also more expensive to hire a person who is sponsored by someone else. There are a number of 'illegals' and 'visa overstayers' but they are a great risk to hire. - Apr 2011
Very affordable. Maids are available for about $5/hour. - Jul 2010
Lots of domestic help is available. It's about 4-6 dollars an hour. - Mar 2010
available, good and affordable. - Jan 2010
Pretty cheap - most housekeepers charge about $5 an hour for a minimum of 5 hours to clean houses. Cooking costs more -- but not prohibitively so. Most people got housekeepers weekly or biweekly. - Dec 2009
Available and cheap, as Saudis do not work and have maids/servants/ do everything for them. - Oct 2008
Above average quality but one pays U.S. prices -- well worth it. - Aug 2008
