You are wise to do your homework before hiring a maid. This usually means asking around the neighborhood, or another trusted expat who lives in town, to find out who is responsible and trustworthy.
A fulltime maid, including cleaning and wash service, costs around $75 a month. You can also hire someone to come to your house a couple of times a week for about $20 a month, plus money for cleaning supplies.
In general, Nicaragua has the lowest market wages in Central America, averaging $.67 an hour fully loaded (compared to Costa Rica, the highest, at $2.25). The minimum wage in Nicaragua is $.42/hour. At a 48-hour workweek, this comes out to $81-$129 per month.
Construction workers usually make about $65 to $200 per month, and labor in the agriculture of fishing industry often make even less than that.
NOTE: While these are the market wages, they are also, in most cases, starvation wages. We do not condone exploitation of an impoverished workforce by any means. Some expats, the ones who are more concerned with social justice and human dignity than profit, pay wages well above the going market rate. Every Cordobacounts in this country. If you can afford to pay a more dignified wage to your employees, don’t feel like you shouldn’t just because your neighbor isn’t. Expats who have been living here for a while will tell you not to, so as not to skew wage expectations. But you can pay someone a living wage without throwing off the entire national economy. The extra couple of dollars can make a difference for employees who are struggling to feed their families, or pay for needed medicines and school supplies. Nicaragua is an extremely poor country and you are a guest here. Be a good diplomat.
Domestic help is inexpensive in Nicaragua
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