The 2026 GCC Domestic Worker Salary Report
Verified salary benchmarks for maids, nannies, cooks, and drivers across the six GCC countries — sourced from 2,100+ government-licensed agencies on gccdomestic.com.
Executive summary
Domestic worker salaries across the Gulf Cooperation Council rose between +3% and +7% in 2026 compared with 2025 levels. The strongest gains were recorded for Filipino workers in the UAE (+7%) and Ethiopian workers in Saudi Arabia (+5%), the latter reflecting the 2025 bilateral agreement between Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia that established a higher wage floor.
The UAE remains the highest-paying market in nominal terms for most nationality groups, with a median Filipino-maid salary of AED 2,000 per month. Saudi Arabia and Qatar follow closely. Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman pay lower nominal amounts but offer comparable purchasing power once cost-of-living is factored in.
Key 2026 regulatory developments: Saudi Arabia's Musaned platform began enforcing mandatory e-salary payment from 1 January 2026 under the Wage Protection System. The UAE's MOHRE Tadbeer model has expanded to over 240 licensed service centres. Bahrain's LMRA continues to lead the region in digital infrastructure with the most developed API for verified third-party platforms.
United Arab Emirates (AED)
Regulator: MOHRE / TadbeerMonthly live-in salary ranges in AED. Median is the most common quoted rate across agencies on gccdomestic.com as of May 2026.
| Role | Nationality | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maid (live-in) | Filipino | 1,800 AED | 2,000 AED | 2,200 AED |
| Maid (live-in) | Indonesian | 1,400 AED | 1,600 AED | 1,800 AED |
| Maid (live-in) | Ethiopian | 1,200 AED | 1,400 AED | 1,600 AED |
| Maid (live-in) | Ugandan | 1,200 AED | 1,350 AED | 1,500 AED |
| Maid (live-in) | Bangladeshi | 1,000 AED | 1,250 AED | 1,500 AED |
| Nanny (live-in) | Filipino | 2,200 AED | 2,500 AED | 2,800 AED |
| Cook (live-in) | Sri Lankan | 1,600 AED | 1,900 AED | 2,200 AED |
| Driver | Indian / Nepali | 2,500 AED | 3,000 AED | 3,500 AED |
Saudi Arabia (SAR)
Regulator: Musaned / HRSDMonthly live-in salary ranges in SAR. Median is the most common quoted rate across agencies on gccdomestic.com as of May 2026.
| Role | Nationality | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maid (live-in) | Filipino | 1,700 SAR | 1,900 SAR | 2,100 SAR |
| Maid (live-in) | Indonesian | 1,400 SAR | 1,550 SAR | 1,700 SAR |
| Maid (live-in) | Ethiopian | 1,000 SAR | 1,200 SAR | 1,400 SAR |
| Maid (live-in) | Bangladeshi | 900 SAR | 1,100 SAR | 1,300 SAR |
| Maid (live-in) | Kenyan / Ugandan | 1,100 SAR | 1,300 SAR | 1,500 SAR |
| Nanny (live-in) | Filipino | 2,000 SAR | 2,300 SAR | 2,600 SAR |
| Cook (live-in) | Indian | 1,500 SAR | 1,800 SAR | 2,100 SAR |
| Driver | Pakistani / Indian | 2,300 SAR | 2,750 SAR | 3,200 SAR |
Kuwait (KWD)
Regulator: Public Authority for Manpower (PAM)Monthly live-in salary ranges in KWD. Median is the most common quoted rate across agencies on gccdomestic.com as of May 2026.
| Role | Nationality | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maid (live-in) | Filipino | 130 KWD | 145 KWD | 160 KWD |
| Maid (live-in) | Indian | 100 KWD | 115 KWD | 130 KWD |
| Maid (live-in) | Sri Lankan | 90 KWD | 105 KWD | 120 KWD |
| Maid (live-in) | Ethiopian | 80 KWD | 95 KWD | 110 KWD |
| Nanny (live-in) | Filipino | 160 KWD | 180 KWD | 200 KWD |
| Driver | Indian / Nepali | 180 KWD | 210 KWD | 240 KWD |
Qatar (QAR)
Regulator: Ministry of Labour (MOL)Monthly live-in salary ranges in QAR. Median is the most common quoted rate across agencies on gccdomestic.com as of May 2026.
| Role | Nationality | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maid (live-in) | Filipino | 1,700 QAR | 1,900 QAR | 2,100 QAR |
| Maid (live-in) | Indonesian | 1,400 QAR | 1,550 QAR | 1,700 QAR |
| Maid (live-in) | Indian | 1,300 QAR | 1,450 QAR | 1,600 QAR |
| Maid (live-in) | Ethiopian | 1,100 QAR | 1,300 QAR | 1,500 QAR |
| Nanny (live-in) | Filipino | 2,000 QAR | 2,250 QAR | 2,500 QAR |
| Driver | Indian / Nepali | 2,300 QAR | 2,700 QAR | 3,100 QAR |
Bahrain (BHD)
Regulator: LMRA (Labour Market Regulatory Authority)Monthly live-in salary ranges in BHD. Median is the most common quoted rate across agencies on gccdomestic.com as of May 2026.
| Role | Nationality | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maid (live-in) | Filipino | 140 BHD | 155 BHD | 170 BHD |
| Maid (live-in) | Indonesian | 110 BHD | 125 BHD | 140 BHD |
| Maid (live-in) | Indian | 100 BHD | 115 BHD | 130 BHD |
| Maid (live-in) | Ethiopian | 90 BHD | 105 BHD | 120 BHD |
| Nanny (live-in) | Filipino | 170 BHD | 195 BHD | 220 BHD |
| Driver | Indian / Pakistani | 180 BHD | 210 BHD | 240 BHD |
Oman (OMR)
Regulator: Ministry of Labour (MOL)Monthly live-in salary ranges in OMR. Median is the most common quoted rate across agencies on gccdomestic.com as of May 2026.
| Role | Nationality | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maid (live-in) | Filipino | 130 OMR | 145 OMR | 160 OMR |
| Maid (live-in) | Indonesian | 100 OMR | 115 OMR | 130 OMR |
| Maid (live-in) | Indian | 95 OMR | 110 OMR | 125 OMR |
| Maid (live-in) | Ethiopian | 85 OMR | 97 OMR | 110 OMR |
| Nanny (live-in) | Filipino | 160 OMR | 180 OMR | 200 OMR |
| Driver | Indian / Bangladeshi | 170 OMR | 195 OMR | 220 OMR |
Year-over-year salary trends
Change from 2025 → 2026, by nationality and country segment.
Methodology
Salary figures in this report are aggregated from three independent sources to maximise accuracy:
- Published agency rates. Salary information published by 2,100+ government-licensed recruitment agencies indexed on gccdomestic.com across all six GCC countries. Agencies operating outside their country's official regulator (MOHRE, Musaned, PAM, MOL, LMRA) are excluded from the dataset.
- Bilateral agreement floors. Public minimum-wage filings from sending-country governments (Philippines POEA/DMW, Indonesian BP2MI, Ethiopian Ministry of Labour and Skills, Kenyan NEA, Ugandan Ministry of Internal Affairs, Bangladeshi BMET, Indian POE, Sri Lankan SLBFE, Nepali DOFE, Pakistani BEOE).
- Anonymised platform-quote data. Aggregated client-quote requests from the past 12 months of GCC Domestic platform activity (no PII, no individual household data).
Ranges are presented as low (10th percentile), median (50th percentile), and high (90th percentile) of monthly cash salary, excluding employer-paid benefits (housing, food, medical insurance) which are mandated in all six GCC countries under live-in domestic-worker law.
This report is updated annually. Permission to cite — free for journalists, researchers, and policymakers — only requirement is attribution to "GCC Domestic 2026 Salary Report (gccdomestic.com)" with a link back to this page.
Frequently asked questions
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Citation: GCC Domestic (2026). 2026 GCC Domestic Worker Salary Report. gccdomestic.com/en/2026-gcc-domestic-worker-salary-report
Published 27 May 2026 · Updated 27 May 2026 · Author: Ibrahim Kedir, Founder of GCC Domestic