How Much Does a Nanny Cost in Dubai in 2026?
Last updated: September 2026
The short answer: a full-time live-in nanny in Dubai costs roughly AED 2,000 to 4,000 a month in salary. A live-out nanny costs roughly AED 3,000 to 6,000. Once you add the visa, medical insurance, flights and end of service pay, budget closer to AED 45,000 to 75,000 for the first year of a live-in arrangement.
Most families searching for the cost of a nanny in Dubai find a salary figure and stop there. That figure is usually less than half of what you will actually spend. The visa, the medical test, the insurance, the annual flight home and the end of service gratuity are all legal obligations, not optional extras, and they land on you as the sponsor.
This guide breaks the whole thing down so you can budget properly before you start interviewing.
Nanny salary in Dubai by type
Salary depends on three things more than anything else: whether she lives in your home, how many years of experience she has, and her nationality. That last one is uncomfortable to write down, but it is how the market prices itself in the Gulf, and pretending otherwise would not help you budget.
| Arrangement | Typical monthly salary | What it usually includes |
|---|
| Live-in, full time | AED 2,000 to 4,000 | Room, board and utilities provided by you |
| Live-out, full time | AED 3,000 to 6,000 | She covers her own housing, so the salary is higher |
| Part time or hourly | AED 25 to 50 per hour | No visa obligation if booked through a licensed company |
A first-time nanny with two or three years of experience sits at the bottom of those ranges. Someone with ten years in the Gulf, a driving licence, and references from families you can actually call will ask for the top of the range, and will usually get it.
Minimum salaries set by embassies
Several embassies set a floor below which they will not approve a contract for their citizens. These are the figures most commonly applied:
- Filipino nationals: AED 1,400 per month
- Indian nationals: AED 1,100 per month
- Sri Lankan nationals: AED 825 per month
Treat these as legal minimums, not as market rates. Almost nobody hires at the floor in Dubai. If you offer AED 1,400 to an experienced Filipino nanny in 2026, you will not get replies.
What the visa and paperwork cost
Sponsoring a domestic worker in the UAE runs to roughly AED 5,000 to 17,000 depending on the route you take and whether you use a Tadbeer centre package. The spread is wide because the packages bundle different things.
| Item | Typical cost | Who pays |
|---|
| Entry permit and residence visa | AED 5,000 to 8,000 | Employer |
| Medical fitness test | Included in most packages | Employer |
| Emirates ID | Included in most packages | Employer |
| Medical insurance, annual | AED 700 to 1,600 | Employer, and it is mandatory |
| Annual flight home | AED 1,500 to 3,500 | Employer |
| Agency or Tadbeer placement fee | AED 5,000 to 15,000 | Employer |
That last line is the one families push back on hardest, and it is the one you can avoid. Placement fees exist because an agency introduced you to the candidate. If you find the candidate yourself and handle the sponsorship directly, that cost disappears. It is the single biggest saving available to you.
Under UAE law, recruitment agencies are not allowed to take any commission or fee from the worker herself. If a candidate tells you she paid to be placed with you, something is wrong.
The costs people forget
End of service gratuity
Domestic workers in the UAE are entitled to end of service pay of 14 days of wages for each year of service, capped at six months of pay. On a salary of AED 3,000, that is roughly AED 1,400 accruing every year. It is not optional and it is not a bonus. Set it aside monthly or it will hurt when she leaves.
Paid leave
She is entitled to 30 days of paid annual leave per year of service and 30 days of paid sick leave. If you need cover while she is away, that is an extra cost in your year.
Food and accommodation for live-in staff
Budget AED 500 to 1,000 a month for food and AED 1,000 to 2,000 a month in notional accommodation cost if you are being honest with yourself about the value of the room. Most families do not count this because the room already exists, which is fair, but the food is real money.
The real first-year total
Here is a realistic build-up for a live-in nanny on AED 3,000 a month, hired directly without an agency placement fee:
| Item | Year one |
|---|
| Salary, 12 months at AED 3,000 | AED 36,000 |
| Visa and sponsorship | AED 6,500 |
| Medical insurance | AED 1,200 |
| Flight home | AED 2,000 |
| Food | AED 9,000 |
| Gratuity accrued | AED 1,400 |
| Total | Around AED 56,000 |
Add an agency placement fee of AED 10,000 and you are at AED 66,000. Go live-out at AED 5,000 a month instead and you are past AED 75,000, though you save the food and the room.
What changes the price
- Experience. Each additional five years of experience adds roughly AED 500 to 1,000 a month to what a candidate will accept.
- Driving licence. A nanny who can drive your children to school is worth AED 500 to 1,000 a month more. Getting a UAE licence from scratch costs from about AED 3,000 plus transport to the driving school, and many candidates do not pass first time.
- Newborn experience. Families with a baby under one year pay a premium, because fewer candidates have genuine newborn experience and the ones who do know it.
- Languages. Arabic or a second European language raises the rate.
- Number of children. Three children is not the same job as one. Expect to pay for it.
How to bring the cost down without underpaying
There are two honest levers and one dishonest one. Skip the dishonest one.
- Cut the agency placement fee. AED 5,000 to 15,000 saved, immediately, by finding the candidate yourself and sponsoring her directly. This changes nothing about what she earns.
- Go part time if your hours are part time. If you need four hours a day, you do not need a full-time live-in nanny and a visa. Hourly help through a licensed company costs AED 25 to 50 an hour with no sponsorship obligation at all.
- Do not squeeze the salary. Underpaying is how you end up re-hiring in eight months, paying the visa costs twice, and putting your children through two handovers in a year. It is the most expensive saving in this list.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a full-time nanny cost per month in Dubai?
Between AED 2,000 and 4,000 a month for a live-in nanny, and AED 3,000 to 6,000 for live-out. On top of the salary you pay the visa, medical insurance, an annual flight home and end of service gratuity, which adds roughly AED 900 to 1,200 a month when spread across the year.
Is it cheaper to hire a nanny directly or through an agency?
Directly, by AED 5,000 to 15,000 in the first year. That figure is the agency placement fee. The salary, visa and insurance costs are the same either way, because those are set by the market and by law rather than by the agency.
Do I have to pay for my nanny flight home?
Yes. A return air ticket to her home country is an employer obligation under UAE law, normally once every two years of service or at the end of the contract. Budget AED 1,500 to 3,500 depending on destination and season.
What is the minimum salary I can legally pay a nanny in the UAE?
There is no single national minimum for domestic workers. Individual embassies set floors for their own citizens, commonly AED 1,400 for Filipino nationals, AED 1,100 for Indian nationals and AED 825 for Sri Lankan nationals. Market rates in Dubai sit well above all of these.
How much is end of service pay for a nanny in the UAE?
Fourteen days of wages for each year of service, capped at six months of pay. On AED 3,000 a month that is about AED 1,400 per year worked.
Can I hire a nanny part time in Dubai without sponsoring a visa?
Yes, if you book through a licensed company that already sponsors the worker. Expect AED 25 to 50 an hour. Hiring an unsponsored individual privately for regular hours is not legal and exposes both of you to penalties.
Ready to see who is available? Browse full profiles of nannies and maids in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with nationality, experience, languages, salary expectation and availability on every profile. You contact them directly. We charge one membership and take no commission on salaries and no placement fee.
Browse available nannies and maids or create a free employer account.
Costs in this guide are market ranges observed in 2026 and are intended for budgeting, not as a quote. Visa rules and fees are set by MoHRE and the ICP and change periodically. Confirm current figures with a licensed Tadbeer centre before you commit.
