Hiring Household Help in Phuket: Cleaners, Maids and Gardeners

Common arrangements

• Part-time cleaner: a few hours once or twice a week, paid per hour or per visit.
• Full-time maid or nanny: five or six days a week, usually living out, sometimes living in.
• Gardener or pool person: a visit every week or two, often paid per visit.
• Estate or villa-management housekeeping: arranged through the management company, usually at a higher rate with a minimum number of hours.

Many residents start with a cleaner for a few hours a week and add hours or tasks once they trust the person. Agree the tasks in advance, including whether laundry, ironing and cooking are included, and see the laundry guide for the other services you may not need to hire.

What people report paying

Guides give wide ranges, and they disagree. Freelance cleaners are commonly quoted at about 150 to 250 baht an hour, and agencies or estate services at about 250 to 400 baht an hour, often with a minimum visit length. One guide gives about 200 baht an hour, 500 baht for half a day and 800 to 1,000 baht for a full day.

For monthly staff, expat guides quote roughly 12,000 to 18,000 baht for a full-time live-out maid in 2026, and some Thailand-wide guides quote higher figures for nannies or live-in staff. Gardeners are often quoted at a few hundred to about a thousand baht per visit. Areas with many villas and expats, such as Bang Tao and Surin, tend to cost more than Rawai or Phuket Town.

Add your helper's costs to your budget using the cost of living guide, and expect to pay more for English, cooking or childcare skills.

Where to find reliable help

• Recommendations from neighbours, landlords and friends, which most guides call the most reliable route.
• Local expat and area Facebook groups, where people post requests and recommend staff.
• Your estate or condo management, which often has an approved list or can supply housekeeping.
• Agencies, which cost more but can handle replacements and paperwork.

Meet the person first, agree a trial period, and ask for an ID document. Keep valuables and paperwork locked away, as you would with any visitor to the home.

Work permits and legal basics

A Thai national does not need a permit to work as a domestic helper. Foreign nationals, including workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, need valid identity documents and the right to work in the country, and hiring someone without them carries legal risk for you as the employer. Ask to see the documents and check what they allow.

Thai rules for domestic workers give them protections such as rest days, holidays and notice periods, and sources describe a requirement to give notice of at least one pay period when ending the arrangement. One source notes that employers may not ask for a bond or deposit. Social security coverage for domestic workers has been expanded in recent years, and law firms describe contributions as required where the worker holds valid documents and a work permit, but the details change, so check with the Social Security Office or a lawyer before you put someone on the payroll.

Minimum wage rules for domestic workers have also been described differently by different sources, so agree a clear wage in writing and do not pay below what a comparable worker would earn locally.

Good practice

• Agree hours, tasks, pay day and days off in a short written note, in Thai if possible.
• Pay on time, and add a bonus at the Thai New Year or Songkran if you can, as many employers do.
• Cover emergencies: ask who to call, and see the health and insurance guide if staff become ill or injured at work.
• Treat a long-serving helper fairly. Underpaying creates turnover and, in a small community, a reputation.
• If you leave Phuket, give notice and pay what you owe, and see the leaving checklist.

This is general information, not legal advice. For contracts, severance or a dispute, ask a Thai lawyer or the labour office.