Going Rate For A Housekeeper

[estebandepraga]

While I understand that many expats have more money than the cleaning staff, it is also important not to spoil them or overpay as it then becomes a vicious circle. MInd you I believe they should be paid a fair going rate as their work is very hard!
imagine if you are in your home country and there is a large foreign community who will pay double the amount for any service; the local workers wont want to do anything for you unless you can match their better wages and this creates very bad vibes; one day the foreigners may leave and the locals then dont want anything to do with these former "to the highest bidders" putting them in a much worse situation. Such are my thoughts!

 

[Ceviche]

Standard hourly rates are probably around 40 .

so I am on track then! huh

 

[ElQueso]

Yeah, I'll add my agreement on the $40 an hour rate. That's about right in the middle. I've seen $5 on either side of that over the last month or two. Not counting travel costs

 

[Montauk_Project]

While I understand that many expats have more money than the cleaning staff, it is also important not to spoil them or overpay as it then becomes a vicious circle. MInd you I believe they should be paid a fair going rate as their work is very hard!
imagine if you are in your home country and there is a large foreign community who will pay double the amount for any service; the local workers wont want to do anything for you unless you can match their better wages and this creates very bad vibes; one day the foreigners may leave and the locals then dont want anything to do with these former "to the highest bidders" putting them in a much worse situation. Such are my thoughts!

Do you want someone underpaid working in your home, touching your valubles? Think of it as an insurance policy.

 

[Davidglen77]

I have a friend who has a big apartment and she told me she pays $50 per hour, plus the housekeeper eats lunch there (sandwich or something quick) and she gives her $10 pesos each time she comes for travel costs. She has her 2 times (Tuesdays & Fridays) per week for 4-5 hours per day. She also pays her en blanco which costs $135 per month paid to AFIP.

 

[Supercharged]

Spoil them? We have no idea how hard it is it to be e a housekeeper here. Most of us can do much better than that. It is also about helping a bit whenever possible.

 

[Montauk_Project]

It is my argentine husband, not me, who sets the salary. We also keep in mind that it takes her about 90 minutes to get here, the hours are few, etc. She told us we were the only people who gave her a xmas bonus, which was a sad thing to hear.
I also think a lot of people here complain about the poverty, and that poverty is caused by low wages. Creating a false system that disrupts local wages might happen if I paid (and others joined me) something like 200 pesos per hour, which is what happens in countries like Cuba. 70 pesos is less than what my portero makes per hour, so it isn´t a crazy wage.

 

[mariano-BCN]

50 pesos p/h including colectivo.

 

[French jurist]

Same think as Montauk, I think I told once this story here but my ex-maid had found 5.000 USD I had left in a sock (yeah, that's clever) and she didn't touch the money.

She could have taken it and I had no proof she did it.

 

[Irelander]

The actual going rate seems to vary a lot from barrio to barrio. Last week, my empleada domestica was told 55 pesos was the going rate in Recoleta. The important thing in an inflationary situation like this is to update frequently. I had been aiming at a 10% rise every 3 months, but even this doesn't seem to be enough at the moment.... but whatever you agree on, don't forget that a good rate becomes a miserable one in just a few months.