Filipino vs Indonesian vs Myanmar Maid 2026: Salary, Skills & Fit Compared
At a Glance
MOM sets no minimum salary for a migrant domestic worker in Singapore. What you pay is by agreement, so the number moves with experience, off-days, loan arrangements and supply — not simply with the country your helper comes from.
The levy is identical whoever you hire: $300 a month for a first helper, $450 for a subsequent helper, and $60 concessionary if your household qualifies.
The differences that actually matter day to day are language, cooking familiarity, dietary and religious needs, and real experience with elderly parents or young children. Those vary by person far more than by passport — so treat nationality as a starting point for questions, not a verdict.
What Actually Differs Between the Three Source Countries
Three things genuinely shape what a helper can do on day one: the language she is most comfortable in, the food she has actually cooked, and the kind of care she has done before. Training pipelines differ between the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar, and so do the dialects and cuisines helpers arrive with. None of that ranks one group above another — and it would be both unfair and unwise to hire on nationality alone. What it does tell you is which questions to ask, and which skills to test rather than assume.
What to compare | Why it matters | How to check it yourself |
English fluency for your household | Instructions about medication, allergies or a toddler need to land first time | Ask her to explain a task back to you in English, then in her own words to a family member |
Cooking range she has actually done | Home cooking for a family of five is different from restaurant prep or baking | Ask for three dishes she cooks weekly; request a simple cooking trial |
Experience with elderly care | Mobility support, fall risk and dementia care are specialised skills | Ask exactly what she did, for how long, and what she would do if your parent slipped |
Experience with young children | Night feeds, school runs and homework supervision are different jobs | Ask about ages she has cared for and how she handled a sick child at night |
Dietary and religious needs | Halal, pork-free or vegetarian kitchens change what she can cook for herself and you | Raise it at interview, in writing, before the placement is confirmed |
Off-day and night-duty expectations | These are the two most common sources of friction after placement | State your arrangement clearly, then confirm she agrees without pressure |
Salary: What Drives the Number, Not the Passport
Because MOM does not set a floor, the salary you agree reflects a bundle of things: how many years of documented experience she has, whether she takes off-days or works through them, whether there is an existing loan arrangement, and how tight supply is at the time you hire. Two helpers from the same province can reasonably be paid differently on that basis alone. Our 2026 salary guide by nationality sets out the ranges families are actually paying this year, and it is the page to read rather than a single number quoted at you.
Two cost items are fixed and not negotiated by nationality. The levy, first: $300 a month for your first helper, $450 a month for a second or subsequent helper, and $60 a month on the concessionary rate. The daily equivalents are $9.87, $14.80 and $1.98 when a helper does not complete a full calendar month. Levy is due by the 17th of the following month.
Levy type | Monthly | Who it applies to |
Normal — first helper | $300 | Most households employing one helper |
Normal — subsequent helper | $450 | A second or later helper in the same household |
Concessionary | $60 | Households with a Singaporean child under 16, a local elderly person aged 67 and above, or a local person with disabilities |
The concessionary rate is worth $240 a month against the standard rate — roughly $2,900 a year. It is granted for one helper per eligible person, capped at two helpers per household, and it is auto-granted once you meet the criteria. How to qualify for the $60 rate walks through the eligibility rules, including what happens if your child turns 16 or an elderly family member moves out.
Language, Cooking and Care: The Practical Differences
Language is the difference families underestimate most. A helper who is fluent in English but not in your grandmother's dialect will still need someone to translate the important things. If a Mandarin- or Cantonese-speaking grandparent is in the house, ask directly which dialects she can hold a conversation in — not whether she "speaks Chinese". The same applies to Tamil, Malay and Bahasa Indonesia. Comfort in a language is a practical care skill, because it decides whether your parent can tell her something hurts.
Cooking follows familiarity. A helper who grew up cooking Indonesian food will usually be confident with spice pastes, rice and slow-braised dishes; someone from the Philippines often arrives comfortable with adobo-style braises, fried dishes and pork; a Myanmar helper may be at home with curries, noodle soups and stir-fries. None of that predicts whether she can cook your family's food — but it tells you how much teaching to plan for, and whether your household needs someone who already knows the dishes your parents ask for. If your kitchen is halal or pork-free, say so before the placement and confirm she can work within it.
Care experience is the third axis, and the one worth verifying hardest. Elderly care in a Singapore flat — hoisting, fall prevention, hospital appointments, patience with repetition — is not the same as childcare, and neither is the same as general housework. What to look for in an agency that handles elderly care covers the questions that separate a real elderly-care placement from a general one. Whatever you agree at interview belongs in writing: the MOM FDW contract in plain English explains which terms are standard and which are yours to set.
MOM Rules That Apply Regardless of Nationality
Every migrant domestic worker enters Singapore on the same pass, and the same obligations follow — work permit approval, a medical examination within the required window, medical and personal accident insurance meeting MOM's minimums, a security bond, and the Settling-In Programme for first-time helpers. Nothing about these changes because of where she was born.
Insurance is where employers get caught out, because the minimum is not the same as adequate. What MOM's $60,000 medical rule actually covers sets out the floor and the gaps — including what happens if a hospital bill runs past it.
If you are borrowing to cover the placement, understand the deduction rules before you sign. How the 4-6 month salary deduction works explains the caps MOM places on recovering a loan from a helper's pay, and why an arrangement that looks affordable on day one can create a problem in month three.
How to Choose for Your Household
Start from the job you actually need done, then work backwards to the person. The households that end up happy are usually the ones that described their week honestly — including the parts that are hard — before they chose.
Your household | What to prioritise | What to ask |
Elderly parent at home alone | Documented elderly-care experience and physical confidence | What she did when someone fell; how she handles a refused meal |
Toddler or infant plus housework | Patience with interrupted sleep and a clear handover routine | How she settled a crying child at night; what she would not do without asking |
Grandparent who speaks only a dialect | Conversational ability in that dialect | A five-minute conversation with your parent, with you watching |
Cooking-heavy, multi-generation kitchen | Range and willingness to be taught your family's dishes | Three dishes she cooks weekly; a trial meal before commitment |
Tight budget | Honest total cost, including levy, insurance and bond | Whether she needs off-days; the real monthly figure, not the headline |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is one nationality cheaper than another?
Not by rule. MOM does not set a minimum salary, so pay reflects experience, off-days, loan arrangements and supply at the time you hire. Nationality is one input among several, and quoting a single figure by country is usually wrong by the time you sign.
Does nationality change the levy?
No. The levy is $300 a month for a first helper, $450 for a subsequent helper, and $60 on the concessionary rate, regardless of where your helper comes from.
Do I have to give my helper off-days?
Off-days are a matter for your agreement, and they affect the salary you agree. What they should never be is a surprise raised after placement — put the arrangement in writing and confirm she accepts it.
What if the fit turns out to be wrong?
Talk to the agency about the replacement terms before you sign, not after. Ask what happens if the helper leaves, who bears the cost, and how long a replacement takes.
Can I interview before committing?
Yes, and you should. A short interview plus a cooking trial tells you more about fit than any biodata summary. Interview for the job you actually need done.
The Bottom Line
Choose the person, not the passport — then verify the three things that decide whether the placement works: the language she can actually use with the people she will care for, the food she has actually cooked, and the care she has actually done. Get those right and nationality stops being the question.
iHome places helpers in Punggol, Northshore and across Singapore, and we will tell you honestly when a profile is not the right fit for your household. Start with a conversation about your week, and we will shortlist from there.
