How much does it cost for a housekeeper or maid in San Miguel de Allende?
Lane Simmons - RE/MAX Colonial San Miguel de Allende
You can get a great, part-time housekeeper here for an hourly wage of around 50 pesos (US $3), which would be quite generous, and around half that much per hour would be considered appropriate pay for a full-time maid. Most people pay their domestic employees in cash.Rather than being a foreigner who wants to be able to brag about how little I pay for help here, I prefer and encourage paying at least a bit more than what’s considered customary.
We have a...
You can get a great, part-time housekeeper here for an hourly wage of around 50 pesos (US $3), which would be quite generous, and around half that much per hour would be considered appropriate pay for a full-time maid. Most people pay their domestic employees in cash.Rather than being a foreigner who wants to be able to brag about how little I pay for help here, I prefer and encourage paying at least a bit more than what’s considered customary.
We have a part-time maid who has cleaned our office for 20 years now, and I am the only employer she has ever had that actually paid the 40% extra for her to be enrolled in and receive the most available to her from the Mexican Social Security system, which includes medical coverage as well as retirement benefits.
Most people with domestic help do not pay for them to be in the Social Security system, and 90% of the employees that I’ve had in my 20 years here, when you mention Social Security, they would say, “No, no, no, give me the money.” So, we give our maid a weekly salary that amounts to about 75 pesos (US $4.54) hourly, which she thinks is great, and in addition to that, we put her in the Social Security system, which does increase your cost by about 40%.
Legally, like for the purpose of calculating over-time pay, 46 hours is considered to be a full-time work week here, which generally consists of 8-hr. days Monday-Friday and 6 hours on Saturday.
Some folks here have live-in help, but generally the maids and cooks and gardeners live somewhere else and come around 6 days a week, depending on your arrangement. Some clean and cook, but most tend to do one or the other, with cooks earning considerably more, and I would pay a good, knowledgeable gardener about as much as an average cook.
I am a consultant for a foreign client I helped to purchase a property here years ago, that he now rents out for US 1,600/night. The maids there are paid 1,100 pesos (US $67) for a 40-hour work week, plus the maximum contribution into their Social Security accounts. The chef there, who does cooking classes quite popular with the guests, is paid 2,650 pesos (US $161) plus Social Security and overtime based on a 40-hr. work week.
(Pictured: Food at Casa Tres Cervezas, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.)
Posted May 3, 2016
Eric Chazaro - Keller Williams Allende
It is normal in San Miguel de Allende to hire a housekeeper for what is called in Mexico, “come in and out”; they don’t stay overnight at your house. On this basis, the average cost to get a housekeeper in San Miguel de Allende would be between 250 to 300 pesos (US $14 to $16) a day and normally, you have to hire them at least 5 days a week; from Monday through Friday and pay them by the week. There are housekeepers who you can hire...
It is normal in San Miguel de Allende to hire a housekeeper for what is called in Mexico, “come in and out”; they don’t stay overnight at your house. On this basis, the average cost to get a housekeeper in San Miguel de Allende would be between 250 to 300 pesos (US $14 to $16) a day and normally, you have to hire them at least 5 days a week; from Monday through Friday and pay them by the week. There are housekeepers who you can hire by the day but they would cost you a little bit more. Hiring a housekeeper by the day would probably cost around 350 to 400 pesos ($19 to $22) a day unless you negotiate a really good deal. One of the reasons they have to charge more if you hire by the day is that they would have to get an extra job somewhere else or get themselves hired by other people by the day so their salary can cover their expenses.
Normally, people here in San Miguel de Allende give their housekeepers a 5 to 6 days of paid vacations a year. At the end of the year, in Mexico, we have what is called Aguinaldo, which is two weeks’ worth of salary that you pay your employees in the month of December. In some cases, Mexicans like to give their home workers Social Security or health insurance. It is not 100% mandatory but some people do. It is normal here in Mexico that housekeepers become family for you so if they get into any sort of trouble such as having health problems, whether they got sick or anyone in their family got sick, normally employers respond and support them.
(Home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted June 4, 2016
Melanie Lansing - Mexico Insurance Advisors
Both Lane
and Eric bring up very good points. What I would like to add is that for newcomers arriving in Mexico it is important that they research the following before hiring a maid:
and Eric bring up very good points. What I would like to add is that for newcomers arriving in Mexico it is important that they research the following before hiring a maid: - The going rate for housekeeping.
- The legal requirements to consider when hiring a maid.
- What is required if you want or need to fire your maid.
- Trusting your maid - how far should you go.
Knowing all of this information will help you avoid future problems.
... Both Lane and Eric bring up very good points. What I would like to add is that for newcomers arriving in Mexico it is important that they research the following before hiring a maid:
and Eric bring up very good points. What I would like to add is that for newcomers arriving in Mexico it is important that they research the following before hiring a maid: - The going rate for housekeeping.
- The legal requirements to consider when hiring a maid.
- What is required if you want or need to fire your maid.
- Trusting your maid - how far should you go.
Knowing all of this information will help you avoid future problems.
Posted June 13, 2016
Jennifer Murphy
In San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, if you get a gardener that comes in once a week, you would probably want to overpay them, which would cost you around 200 pesos (US $12). They come at around 8 AM and stay until around 1 PM. The more often you have the gardeners in to take care of your property, they don’t need to stay as long and it’s not as much pressure. They don’t have to get so many things done so you don’t have to be as...
In San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, if you get a gardener that comes in once a week, you would probably want to overpay them, which would cost you around 200 pesos (US $12). They come at around 8 AM and stay until around 1 PM. The more often you have the gardeners in to take care of your property, they don’t need to stay as long and it’s not as much pressure. They don’t have to get so many things done so you don’t have to be as specific as to how many hours they take because they start to take care of your garden irrespective of the hours it takes; it becomes their territory.
If you have a gardener that comes twice a week, you could probably pay him $150 per month and he will come to your house to work from 8 AM to 12 noon and your garden will be in great shape. The more dispersed their schedule is with you, the more they will look for other jobs that will fill those other days that they are not working at your property.
If you have a house that you just moved into, you may want to get a gardener who comes more often but if you need a full garden setup then that is a whole different story. If you want to hire a gardener on a full time basis, it would cost you around US $90 a week. Gardeners prefer working in the morning before the heat of the sun so they can water and weed the plants, etc., before it gets too hot.
(Hacienda cactus garden, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted October 5, 2016
Judy Newell - Perfect Journeys
Our gardener, Miguel, comes once a week to our home here in San Miguel de Allende on Wednesdays. We pay Miguel 300 pesos (about US $16). He's there from eight in the morning until about four in the afternoon. He does a good job with the gardening on his own, but we supply the tools and fertilizer and Miguel tells us what he needs. We’ve had our gardener on and off for about eight years. The rate of 300 pesos a day is considered well...
Our gardener, Miguel, comes once a week to our home here in San Miguel de Allende on Wednesdays. We pay Miguel 300 pesos (about US $16). He's there from eight in the morning until about four in the afternoon. He does a good job with the gardening on his own, but we supply the tools and fertilizer and Miguel tells us what he needs. We’ve had our gardener on and off for about eight years. The rate of 300 pesos a day is considered well paid in San Miguel. Most people pay their gardeners about 150 pesos (about $8) for eight hours a day.
(City garden in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted November 18, 2016
Cathy Rocha
The cost of having a housekeeper in San Miguel de Allende depends on how generous one wants to be. I have a housekeeper who comes once a week and works for 6 hours, and she’s paid approximately US $25 per day. That’s on the high-end of standard. Her rate started at about $20 per day. She has now been with me for almost three years. Housekeepers make more than gardeners do in the neighborhood where I live. My housekeeper has had a lot of...
The cost of having a housekeeper in San Miguel de Allende depends on how generous one wants to be. I have a housekeeper who comes once a week and works for 6 hours, and she’s paid approximately US $25 per day. That’s on the high-end of standard. Her rate started at about $20 per day. She has now been with me for almost three years. Housekeepers make more than gardeners do in the neighborhood where I live. My housekeeper has had a lot of training. When she first arrived, she had never used a vacuum cleaner, but she does an incredibly good job now. She’s very trustworthy and reliable.
(Traditional living room, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted November 19, 2016
Jim Castro - Agave Rentals
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On average, the cost to get a housekeeper in San Miguel de Allende is around 1,500 pesos per week (US $73). Some housekeepers do not work live-in but they work Mondays through Fridays and a half day on Saturdays. They usually work for 6 to 7 hours a day. If you need someone to work for you once a week, then you might as well pay in an hourly rate, which is around 60 pesos an hour ($3) which is the average rate here in San Miguel.
...
On average, the cost to get a housekeeper in San Miguel de Allende is around 1,500 pesos per week (US $73). Some housekeepers do not work live-in but they work Mondays through Fridays and a half day on Saturdays. They usually work for 6 to 7 hours a day. If you need someone to work for you once a week, then you might as well pay in an hourly rate, which is around 60 pesos an hour ($3) which is the average rate here in San Miguel.
Housekeepers here in San Miguel can be super, reliable, and trust-worthy. However, there is a variety so you would also find some housekeepers who do not work so hard or are unreliable.
(Dining room in an estate home, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted December 17, 2016
Jonathan Peters - Ventanas de San Miguel
A maid or a housekeeper in San Miguel de Allende can work four days a week while some maids work full time. The maid I hired works 25-30 hours a week for four days and costs 700 pesos (around US $35), which is typical. The cost of labor is really low in San Miguel de Allende. We've raised her pay a couple of times, look out for her if she has any issues and we'll always let her go earlier whenever she needs to. Our maid in San Miguel de Allende comes...
A maid or a housekeeper in San Miguel de Allende can work four days a week while some maids work full time. The maid I hired works 25-30 hours a week for four days and costs 700 pesos (around US $35), which is typical. The cost of labor is really low in San Miguel de Allende. We've raised her pay a couple of times, look out for her if she has any issues and we'll always let her go earlier whenever she needs to. Our maid in San Miguel de Allende comes in a few hours to do house work and leaves. There are also people who have maids that work 12-14 hours a day but aren't making much more than what we pay our maid. If you wanted a full time maid in San Miguel de Allende working from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM for five days a week, the cost for a maid is 1,400 pesos ($77) to 1,500 pesos ($82) a week if you are very generous.
(Terrace at night with a fire pit, Ventanas de San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted December 27, 2016
Nancy Howze - CDR Bienes Raices San Miguel, SC
Having a housekeeper in San Miguel de Allende costs significantly less than having a gardener or a cook-- around 900-1,200 pesos ($45 - $60) a week, depending on the size of your house. You may not need full time staff if you live in a 2-bedroom house. Some people have shared housekeepers. This means that a housekeeper may work at my house 2 days in a week, in someone else’s house 2 days in a week, and in your house 2 days in a week as well....
Having a housekeeper in San Miguel de Allende costs significantly less than having a gardener or a cook-- around 900-1,200 pesos ($45 - $60) a week, depending on the size of your house. You may not need full time staff if you live in a 2-bedroom house. Some people have shared housekeepers. This means that a housekeeper may work at my house 2 days in a week, in someone else’s house 2 days in a week, and in your house 2 days in a week as well. That’s not an unusual event. Typically, however, if you have a housekeeper that works for you part time, the cost is generally more per day than if you have them full time.
The cost to have a cook in San Miguel de Allende who works 5-6 days a week is about 1,600 pesos ($80) a week. I have a cook who works at my house who she is fabulous. She buys all the food, cooks it, and cleans up afterward.
(Kitchen with a fireplace, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted January 4, 2017
Ariadna Delsol - COLONIAL REAL ESTATE
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The cost to get a gardener in San Miguel de Allende varies but usually people hire them to come three times per week or twice a week and they get paid around 250 pesos (US $12.50) per day. How well they do their job depends on the gardener. They bring their own tools so you don’t have to provide for them. This is the beauty of living in San Miguel. A lot of expats come to Mexico, in general, because their dollars cannot buy in the States what they...
The cost to get a gardener in San Miguel de Allende varies but usually people hire them to come three times per week or twice a week and they get paid around 250 pesos (US $12.50) per day. How well they do their job depends on the gardener. They bring their own tools so you don’t have to provide for them. This is the beauty of living in San Miguel. A lot of expats come to Mexico, in general, because their dollars cannot buy in the States what they can buy here. They cannot have the same standard of living in the US as they have here in Mexico. Expats live like kings here because they can have a maid, a cook, a nanny, and a gardener and don’t have to do anything but enjoy their time and spend it with friends while having margaritas and singing along. Mexico is just a great place to live.
(Garden in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted January 23, 2017
Greg Gunter - Dream Pro Homes
Readers, part of the reason people move to Mexico is because the cost of living so much more affordable. Many of us who could not afford a maid in the U.S. have one several times weekly herein Mexico. Rates from run from a low of 30 pesos an hour (about US $1.50; usually for a full-time maid) to 50 or 60 pesos (US $2.50 to $3.00) an hour for one that only works part time for you. Many of us have maid service three times weekly at minimum! (Living...
Readers, part of the reason people move to Mexico is because the cost of living so much more affordable. Many of us who could not afford a maid in the U.S. have one several times weekly herein Mexico. Rates from run from a low of 30 pesos an hour (about US $1.50; usually for a full-time maid) to 50 or 60 pesos (US $2.50 to $3.00) an hour for one that only works part time for you. Many of us have maid service three times weekly at minimum! (Living easy in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted April 13, 2017