Dili - Post Report Question and Answers

What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?

Available, about US $200-250 month for regular assistance. I don't have a housekeeper, but connect with one woman for occasional ironing ($0.50 per shirt which she protests is too much) and paid $50 for a thorough house cleaning after my teen boy returned to the US; again, she would have accepted $25. - Aug 2021


Easy to find or they will find you if they know you're new in the neighborhood. Cost for a full time nanny or housekeeper is probably $250 to $300 per month. There are labor laws that limit the amount of hours you can hire a non-Timorese worker for so you have to be careful hiring someone freelance. Most people I know have found Timorese helpers through a local agency. - Sep 2017


About 6 dollars per hour for help. There is a good selection of help available. - May 2017


Available. I pay $20 a week for someone to come 1x week to clean house, wash my clothes and iron. Daily household help is available. You can hire someone to do just about anything. I also have a driver and gardener. Driver costs $3 hour, gardener just over a $1 hour. Some people use employment services such as Entrega Ba, which is quite reliable and handles work contracts. - Sep 2016


Depends, help ranges from $300PM to $800PM. - Nov 2013


Plentiful and inexpensive. All help is live-out. A full-time English-speaking Filipino nanny (5 days week) is about $400/month. A full-time Timorese housekeeper is approximately $200/month. A part-time Timorese gardener: $100/month. Most folks drive themselves, but a few also employ drivers. - Apr 2013


Like I said before: super affordable and easy to tailor to fit. You want a housekeeper once a week great, every day, fine you got it! - Mar 2010


Domestic help is used and afordable. If you hire local help the cost is around $100 a month Other domestic help is much more expensive. About $300 to $400 a month. - Feb 2010


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