ChooseMaid
Hire Affordable Maids, Nannies & Domestic Workers in Dubai & Across the UAE - no agency fees.
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Hire a maid in Dubai without paying an agency.
ChooseMaid is a platform in Dubai where you hire directly, no agencies. You browse over 1,000 verified house maid, nanny, cook, driver and babysitter profiles across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, filter by nationality, salary and availability, then pay one AED 195 fee to unlock contact details and message candidates yourself on WhatsApp.
A traditional maid agency in Dubai charges AED 3,000 to AED 7,999 to place one candidate. You pay AED 195, interview as many maids in Dubai as you want, and agree the salary directly with her.
Whether you need a live-in maid who stays with your family, a live-out maid who commutes daily, a full-time housemaid six days a week, or a part-time housemaid for two mornings, every option is below with real salary figures.
Free to browse · AED 195 one-time to contact · No commission
Salaries are paid by you, directly to her. These are the real monthly ranges across Dubai in 2026.
| Nationality | Live-in maid | Live-out maid | Typical strengths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filipino | AED 1,800 to 2,500 | AED 2,200 to 3,000 | Fluent English, Western and Asian cooking, childcare | View profiles → |
| Indian | AED 1,200 to 2,000 | AED 1,500 to 2,500 | Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu. Indian cooking, elderly care | View profiles → |
| Indonesian | AED 1,300 to 2,000 | AED 1,600 to 2,400 | Bahasa and working Arabic, halal cooking, infant care | View profiles → |
| Nepali | AED 1,300 to 2,000 | AED 1,600 to 2,400 | Nepali and Hindi, villa deep cleaning, laundry | View profiles → |
| Kenyan | AED 1,400 to 2,100 | AED 1,700 to 2,500 | Fluent English and Swahili, school-age childcare | View profiles → |
| Ugandan | AED 1,400 to 2,100 | AED 1,700 to 2,500 | Fluent English and Luganda, childcare and cooking | View profiles → |
| Ethiopian | AED 1,000 to 1,600 | AED 1,400 to 2,000 | Amharic, cleaning and household routines | View profiles → |
A live-out maid in Dubai earns more in salary and costs you less overall, because you are not providing a room, meals or utilities. The full comparison is in the next section.
Add visa and sponsorship costs on top if you employ her directly. A two-year maid visa runs AED 4,500 to 7,000 including the Tadbeer package, medical fitness test, Emirates ID and health insurance.
This is the first decision most Dubai families make, and salary alone gives you the wrong answer.
| Live-in maid | Live-out maid | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly salary | AED 1,200 to 2,500 | AED 1,500 to 3,000 |
| Accommodation | You provide a room | She lives outside, with housing agreed in her contract |
| Food | You provide meals, roughly AED 400 a month | Her own |
| Utilities | Included in your household | Her own |
| Transport | Not usually needed | AED 300 to 500 allowance is common |
| Visa sponsorship | Usually you | You, with the visa through a Tadbeer centre |
| Realistic monthly total | AED 1,900 to 3,300 | AED 1,800 to 3,500 |
| Availability | All day, within legal rest hours | Agreed hours, she goes home |
| Best for | Villas, young children, families wanting all-day help | Apartments with no spare room, fixed daily hours |
The totals are closer than the salary suggests. A live-in maid in Dubai looks cheaper on salary and costs roughly the same once a room, meals and utilities are counted. The real difference is availability and privacy, not money.
A full-time live-in maid in Dubai suits a villa with children and a spare room. A live-out maid in Dubai suits an apartment where there is no room to give, and families who prefer their evenings private.
Free to browse · AED 195 one-time to contact · No commission
The second decision is hours, and it has a clear crossover point.
| Full-time housemaid | Part-time housemaid | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical commitment | 6 days a week, 8 to 10 hours | 2 to 3 days, or set mornings |
| Cost | AED 1,500 to 3,000 a month | AED 35 to 50 an hour |
| Monthly equivalent | AED 1,500 to 3,000 | AED 600 to 1,800 |
| Visa | You usually sponsor | Visa through a licensed Tadbeer centre |
| Minimum booking | Not applicable | 3 to 4 hours is standard |
| Best for | Villas, large families, daily cooking | Apartments, working couples, two or three days |
The crossover sits at about 12 hours a week. Below that, a part-time housemaid in Dubai is cheaper and more flexible. Above it, a full-time housemaid costs less per hour and you get consistency. Part-time maids work on a visa from a licensed Tadbeer centre, as UAE law requires.
A part-time housemaid in Dubai at AED 40 an hour for three mornings a week costs around AED 1,440 a month. A full-time housemaid in Dubai at AED 2,000 covers six full days. If you need more than three days, full-time wins on price.
Free to browse · AED 195 one-time to contact · No commission
Scope is the single most common source of problems in the first two months, and it is entirely avoidable. Agree it in writing before she starts.
| Task group | Usually included | Usually extra, agree separately |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning | Daily tidying, dusting, mopping, bathrooms, kitchen | Deep cleaning, windows, balconies, inside ovens and fridges |
| Laundry | Washing, drying, folding, bed changing | Large ironing volumes, dry-clean runs, seasonal wardrobe changes |
| Kitchen | Washing up, kitchen hygiene, basic food prep | Full daily cooking for the household, dinner parties, baking |
| Children | Watching children while you are home, tidying their rooms | Sole charge childcare, school runs, homework, bathing and bedtime |
| Errands | Light grocery shopping nearby | Driving, bill payments, airport runs |
| Pets | Feeding, water | Walking, grooming, vet visits |
The two that cause the most disputes are cooking and childcare. A maid hired to clean a three-bedroom apartment and then asked to cook three meals a day and mind two children is doing two jobs. If you need both, say so at the interview and pay for both. It costs AED 200 to 500 more a month and it is the difference between a hire that lasts two years and one that lasts two months.
What the law requires of you regardless of what you agree: at least 12 hours of rest in each 24, of which 8 are continuous, one full paid day off every week, 30 days of paid annual leave a year, and salary paid monthly in full. You also cannot hold her passport.
If you need daily cooking as the main job rather than an add-on, hire a cook instead. It is a different role at a different rate.
Free to browse · AED 195 one-time to contact · No commission
Nationality, live-in or live-out, full-time or part-time, salary range, languages, city. Looking is free and needs no account.
AED 195 gives you 15 days of access. AED 235 gives you one month. Both are one-time payments. Nothing renews and nothing is charged again.
Interview as many as you want. There is no limit and no per-candidate charge.
You set the salary, the days off and the start date directly with her. We take nothing from her salary.
Choose a plan and get unlimited contact details for maids and nannies during your access period. Interview freely and decide who is right for your family.
If you don't find someone you want to hire, we refund every dirham. You can contact alternative candidates during your access period. Any trial or employment arrangement is agreed directly with the candidate.
Most families searching for the best maid agency in Dubai are really asking what hiring costs and who controls the process. Here is the honest comparison.
| ChooseMaid | Typical maid agency in Dubai | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront fee | AED 195 one-time | AED 3,000 to 7,999 placement |
| Commission on salary | None | Often built into the monthly package |
| Monthly charge | None | Some charge a management fee |
| Who you interview | Every candidate you choose | Whoever they send you |
| Who sets the salary | You and her, directly | The agency |
| Number of candidates | Unlimited, no extra charge | Usually two or three |
| Replacement | Pick another candidate on the platform, no new fee | Limited window |
| Visa paperwork | You arrange, or use a Tadbeer centre | They handle it |
| Contact method | WhatsApp, directly with her | Through the agency |
What an agency genuinely gives you: they handle the visa paperwork end to end, and some offer a replacement guarantee. If you want someone else to manage the entire process and the cost does not matter, an agency is a reasonable choice.
What you give up: control of who you meet, control of the salary, and roughly AED 3,000 to 7,800.
Free to browse · AED 195 one-time to contact · No commission
Every platform in this market says verified. Most never say what they check. Here is ours.
One valid government-issued identity document for every candidate on the platform. That is an Emirates ID, a passport, or a UAE driving licence.
We are not a background screening agency. We do not contact previous employers, verify employment history or run police clearances. We recommend every family checks documents themselves at the point of hiring, calls at least one reference, and runs a paid trial period of two to three days before committing.
Saying that plainly is more useful than a badge.
Most families on ChooseMaid are looking for a maid service in Dubai, and the platform covers the whole country.
| Emirate | Live-in salary range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai | AED 1,200 to 2,500 | Largest pool, fastest to hire |
| Abu Dhabi | AED 1,100 to 2,300 | Lower salaries, longer distances, transport matters more |
| Sharjah | AED 1,000 to 2,000 | Lowest salaries, many commute into Dubai |
| Ajman and the Northern Emirates | AED 1,000 to 1,900 | Smaller pool, more notice needed |
Where you live changes which arrangement makes sense, more than most families expect.
| Area | Typical home | Most common hire | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Marina, JBR | 1 to 2 bed apartments | Part-time, 2 to 3 mornings | Rarely a spare room, so live-out or part-time. Building access and parking need arranging in advance |
| Jumeirah Village Circle | 1 to 3 bed apartments | Part-time or live-out | Large commuting maid population lives nearby, so live-out is easy to staff |
| Downtown, Business Bay | 1 to 2 bed apartments | Part-time, evenings common | Visitor access is strict. Register her at reception before the first day |
| Al Barsha, Al Quoz | Mixed villas and apartments | Full-time live-out | Central, short commutes from most staff accommodation |
| Arabian Ranches, Dubai Hills | 3 to 5 bed villas | Full-time live-in | Maid room is standard. Live-in is the norm and the cheapest option per hour |
| Mirdif, Al Khawaneej | Villas and townhouses | Full-time live-in or live-out | Further out, so a live-out maid will expect a transport allowance of AED 300 to 500 |
| Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim | Villas | Full-time live-in | Larger homes, often two staff. Expect the upper salary band |
| Palm Jumeirah | Apartments and villas | Live-in for villas, part-time for apartments | Access control is the tightest in Dubai. Arrange her pass before day one |
The practical rule: if your home has a maid room, live-in is almost always cheaper per hour of help. If it does not, you are choosing between live-out with a transport allowance or part-time by the hour, and the crossover sits at about 12 hours a week.
Two things worth sorting before her first day anywhere in Dubai: building access and parking if she drives. Both take longer than people expect and both cause a missed first morning.
Full-time, live-in and live-out childcare from AED 1,800 to 4,500 a month. Filtered by age group experience, language and first aid training. A live-out nanny in Dubai typically earns AED 3,000 to 4,500 plus a transport allowance.
Nannies →Hourly cover for evenings, weekends and school holidays from AED 35 an hour, on a visa from a licensed Tadbeer centre. If you need a babysitter in Dubai tonight rather than a monthly nanny, this is the faster route.
Babysitters in Dubai →Daily family meals or a private chef, AED 1,500 to 3,000 a month. Indian, Filipino, Arabic and continental.
Cooks →Family and personal drivers, male and female, with a valid UAE driving licence on file. AED 2,500 to 4,500 a month.
Safe drivers →Free to browse · AED 195 one-time to contact · No commission
Numbers in context, because a salary range on its own does not tell you what you will actually spend.
Three mornings a week, four hours each, cleaning and laundry. A part-time housemaid at AED 40 an hour.
A full-time maid at AED 2,000 would cost marginally more and sit idle most of the week. Part-time is correct here.
Full-time live-in, cleaning, laundry, cooking, and watching the children after school.
Through an agency, the same hire carries an AED 3,000 to 7,999 placement fee on top. Direct, the one-time cost is AED 195.
Two mornings a week, three hours each, cleaning only.
The AED 45 rate is higher than the three-day example because shorter, less regular bookings command more. Booking the same maid every week on a fixed schedule typically brings the rate down 10 to 20 percent.
Free to browse · AED 195 one-time to contact · No commission
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AED 195 one-time to unlock contact details, then her salary, which runs AED 1,200 to 3,000 a month depending on nationality and whether she lives in. A maid agency in Dubai charges AED 3,000 to 7,999 for the introduction alone.
Fifteen days of access to contact details for every candidate on the platform. AED 235 gives you one month. Both are one-time payments. Nothing renews.
No. You pay her directly and we take nothing from either side.
A live-in maid lives in your home and is available throughout the day, earning AED 1,200 to 2,500. A live-out maid commutes daily on agreed hours and earns AED 1,500 to 3,000, but you provide no room, meals or utilities. Total monthly cost is similar.
AED 1,500 to 3,000 a month for six days a week. A part-time housemaid costs AED 35 to 50 an hour, which works out cheaper below about 12 hours a week.
Yes. ChooseMaid is a platform, not an agency, so we do not sponsor maids. By law the visa is arranged by your family, directly or through a licensed Tadbeer centre. A two-year maid visa costs AED 4,500 to 7,000 in total. A maid already in the UAE can transfer her visa to you, which is faster and costs less than a new visa from abroad.
Yes. Her domestic worker visa is transferred to you, or arranged through a licensed Tadbeer centre. Working on her own or someone else's visa is not allowed, with fines from AED 50,000.
Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Nepali, Kenyan, Ugandan and Ethiopian maids and nannies, across every emirate.
Most families message candidates the same day and interview within 48 hours. Hiring someone already in the UAE, with a visa transfer, is usually much faster. Sponsoring a new visa takes three to six weeks.
Browse again and contact other candidates at no extra charge while your access is active. There is no replacement fee because there was no placement fee.
Yes, and the wider UAE. Salaries run AED 100 to 300 a month lower outside Dubai.
Yes. Browsing profiles, filtering and reading details costs nothing and needs no account. You pay only to unlock contact details.
Over 1,000 verified profiles across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Filter by nationality, salary and availability, pay AED 195 once, and message candidates yourself on WhatsApp.
No agency fee. No commission. The salary you agree is the salary she is paid.
Free to browse · AED 195 one-time to contact · No commission