How much does it cost to hire a maid in the GCC?
A realistic, itemised view of the cost of hiring a domestic worker across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman — what you actually pay for, and where to confirm current figures.
The short answer
The cost of hiring a maid in the GCC is not a single figure — it is the sum of official government fees, medical screening, travel and service or agency fees, plus the ongoing salary and accommodation. Each country and route prices these differently, and official schedules change. The reliable approach is to itemise each component and confirm current fees with the relevant authority before committing.
Building a realistic hiring budget
Choose your country and route
Direct, licensed or agency hiring changes which costs apply.
Itemise the official fees
Permit, visa and residence charges set by each authority.
Add medical and insurance
Screening charges and any insurance elements required by the route.
Add travel and service fees
Airfare and any lawful agency or service charges.
Budget the ongoing costs
Monthly salary, accommodation and day-to-day household costs.
Confirm before paying
Verify current fees with the authority and get written breakdowns from providers.
Why is there no single GCC cost figure?
Hiring costs depend on six countries, multiple routes and many source countries. Official fee schedules change, and agencies price differently. Any page quoting one exact GCC-wide total is simplifying away the variables that matter most to your budget.
- Each country sets its own permit, visa and medical fees
- Agency, licensed-office and direct routes price differently
- Source country affects travel and service costs
- Ongoing salary depends on role, experience and duties
What are you actually paying for?
Every GCC hiring cost breaks down into the same components. Itemising them tells you where your money goes and what to confirm with whom.
| Cost component | Who sets it | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Permit and visa fees | Each country's authority (LMRA, Musaned/MHRSD, MOHRE, Ministry of Labour, MOI, MOL, ROP) | Current official fee schedule for your route |
| Medical screening | Approved medical providers | Required tests, provider charges and timing |
| Insurance elements | Route requirements, e.g. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia | Whether insurance applies and how it is arranged |
| Travel | Employer and route agreement | Who pays airfare and when it is booked |
| Service or agency fees | Licensed offices and agencies | Written breakdown, licensing status, refund terms |
| Salary and accommodation | Employer and worker agreement | Written contract terms for wages, housing and leave |
GCC hiring cost components. Indicative as of 2026-09-21 — confirm current requirements and fees with each authority.
How does the cost structure differ by country?
The same components apply everywhere, but the proportions differ. The table below shows the typical structure per country in qualitative terms only.
| Country | Typical cost structure | Notable elements |
|---|---|---|
| Bahrain | LMRA permit fees + medical + NPRA visa fees + travel + service fees | Electronic permit services; confirm the current LMRA schedule |
| Saudi Arabia | Musaned route fees + medical + insurance + visa fees + travel + agency fees | Costs vary sharply by route: agency, custom, known worker, transfer |
| UAE | MOHRE-related fees + medical + entry permit fees + service fees + travel | Tadbeer centres provide licensed services with their own pricing |
| Qatar | Licensed office fees + medical + visa fees + travel | Law 15 of 2017 makes licensed offices the default route |
| Kuwait | MOI visa fees + medical + insurance elements + travel + service fees | Medical and insurance are part of the Article 20 route |
| Oman | MOL permit fees + medical + ROP visa fees + travel + service fees | Confirm current MOL and ROP charges |
GCC cost structures by country. Indicative as of 2026-09-21 — confirm current fees with each authority.
What should you budget monthly?
Beyond one-off recruitment costs, the household budget must cover the worker's salary, accommodation and day-to-day living costs. These are agreed in the written contract, not set by Ployer or any third party.
- Monthly salary agreed in writing and paid on time
- Accommodation, meals and reasonable household costs
- Leave, travel home and any renewal fees in later years
- Salary expectations vary by role, experience and source country — agree them clearly
Where does Ployer fit in cost planning?
Ployer structures the employer journey so each fee-bearing step is visible in the workflow, and tracks documents in a private vault. Ployer does not publish fee figures it cannot substantiate and never claims to be the cheapest route.
- Country-specific checklists that surface every fee-bearing step
- Document tracking that prevents duplicate payments
- No invented price figures and no guaranteed visa or permit claims
GCC cost structure selector
Pick your country to see the typical cost structure. Confirm current official fees with the authority before starting.
Select an option above.
Common questions
Costs depend on the Musaned route you choose — agency, custom, known worker or transfer — plus medical, insurance, visa fees, travel and agency charges. Confirm the current schedule on Musaned and with MHRSD.
Ployer does not rank countries by price: totals vary by route, source country and changing official fees, so any cheapest claim is unverifiable. Compare written breakdowns instead of totals.
No. Official fees are set by the authorities; agency and service fees are charged separately through licensed channels. Get both itemised in writing.
Yes. Screening is charged by approved providers on top of official fees where it is required. Confirm the tests, provider charges and timing with the authority.
Travel is usually employer-funded, but the arrangement should be written into the contract. Confirm before committing.
Salary, accommodation, meals and household costs, plus leave, travel home and any renewal fees in later years. Agree all of this in writing.
You can ask for one, but it should come with a written breakdown of every component. If a provider gives only a total, ask what it covers and what happens if the process fails.
Ployer is the workflow layer around the official process and publishes no fee figures it cannot substantiate. Official fees are set by the authorities and service fees by licensed providers.
What we can evidence on this page
Ployer does not publish fabricated reviews or self-awarded star ratings. Where evidence exists it is shown with its source and date; where it does not exist yet, it is stated plainly.
- No invented fee figures — This page quotes no country-specific fee amounts because official schedules change; readers are directed to confirm current fees with each authority.
- Official authority sources cited — Cost structure claims link to official GCC authority pages: LMRA, Musaned and MHRSD, MOHRE, Qatar Law 15 of 2017, Kuwait Government Online, and Oman MOL and ROP.
- Dated review — Fact-checked and updated on 2026-09-21; table captions carry the same date so readers know when guidance was reviewed.
- Named editorial ownership — Authored by the Ployer Editorial Team and reviewed by Ployer Compliance & Editorial Review before publication.
- Verifiable platform behaviour — Descriptions of Ployer's workflow reflect the platform's actual behaviour: checklists, document vault and no unsupported price claims.
Related guides
Official sources and references
- LMRA Bahrain — electronic Domestic Employee Permit service announcement
- Musaned (Saudi Arabia) — official domestic worker services platform
- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), Saudi Arabia
- MOHRE UAE — domestic worker resolutions and circulars
- Qatar — Law No. 15 of 2017 on Domestic Workers
- Kuwait Government Online — Domestic Worker entry visa service
- Kuwait Government Online — Domestic Workers Residence Article 20
- Oman Ministry of Labour — private work permit service
- Oman Royal Oman Police — visa services
Tell us who you need.
Describe the role once — Ployer structures the requirements, shows verified matches and tracks the GCC workflow from offer to arrival.