Most UAE families searching "maid salary in Dubai" land on agency content quoting a single number — and that number is usually too high. The reality from live marketplace data is that salaries cluster tighter in the UAE than the headline suggests, the Filipino premium is smaller than agencies tell you, and there's no regulator-published per-nationality minimum that anchors negotiation. This is what the numbers actually look like in 2026, drawn from 3,400+ approved Rufy caregivers across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the Emirates.
For a live lookup tuned to your exact city, nationality and experience preference, use this guide alongside the UAE salary index.
There is no MOHRE-published per-nationality salary floor
Unlike Saudi Arabia (which enforces a SAR 1,500 floor for Filipino HSWs via Musaned) the UAE does not publish a per-nationality monthly minimum. Federal Decree-Law 9/2022 governs the contract framework — including end-of-service gratuity (14 days/year, capped at 6 months), the weekly rest day, 12 hours' continuous daily rest, and the return ticket at contract end — but it sets no SAR/AED wage figure.
The salary you pay is what's agreed inside the MOHRE standard domestic-worker contract, between you and your candidate (or the Tadbeer centre representing them). Because there's no published floor, the real-world marketplace range matters more than any single "minimum" figure.
What families actually pay, by role
All figures below are monthly cash salaries paid to the worker, in AED. Source: the median (p50) and interquartile range (p25–p75) of desired-salary on approved + publicly browseable Rufy caregivers in the UAE as of June 2026.
Housekeepers (maids)
| Nationality | Sample (n) | p25 (AED) | Median (AED) | p75 (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filipino | 1,062 | 3,000 | 3,500 | 4,000 |
| Sri Lankan | 41 | 3,000 | 3,500 | 3,800 |
| Cameroonian | 31 | 2,900 | 3,500 | 4,000 |
| Indonesian | 12 | 3,150 | 3,500 | 3,625 |
| Ugandan | 325 | 2,500 | 3,000 | 3,500 |
| Kenyan | 236 | 2,500 | 3,000 | 3,500 |
| Ethiopian | 37 | 2,500 | 3,000 | 3,500 |
| Zimbabwean | 25 | 2,500 | 3,000 | 3,500 |
| Indian | 11 | 2,750 | 3,000 | 3,650 |
| Ghanaian | 40 | 2,500 | 2,900 | 3,500 |
Two tiers. Filipino, Sri Lankan, Cameroonian and Indonesian candidates cluster at AED 3,500 median. African nationalities (Ugandan, Kenyan, Ethiopian, Zimbabwean) and Indian sit at AED 3,000. That AED 500/month gap is the entire Filipino premium for housekeeping in the UAE — a far cry from the 30–40% premium some agency pitches imply.
Nannies
| Nationality | Sample (n) | Median (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Filipino | 1,111 | 3,500 |
| Sri Lankan | 44 | 3,500 |
| Cameroonian | 41 | 3,500 |
| Indian | 14 | 3,500 |
| Indonesian | 13 | 3,500 |
| Ugandan | 331 | 3,000 |
| Kenyan | 238 | 3,000 |
| Ethiopian | 40 | 3,000 |
| Zimbabwean | 31 | 3,000 |
| Nigerian | 20 | 3,000 |
| Ghanaian | 42 | 2,900 |
Same two-tier structure as housekeeping, with Filipino availability even more dominant (n=1,111). For a basic childminding role the AED 500/month gap pays for cumulative English-conversation exposure for the child — worth it for some families, not strictly necessary for others.
Elder-care workers
| Nationality | Sample (n) | Median (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Filipino | 362 | 3,500 |
| Sri Lankan | 25 | 3,500 |
| Cameroonian | 16 | 3,500 |
| Nigerian | 7 | 3,500 |
| Zimbabwean | 16 | 3,100 |
| Ugandan | 144 | 3,000 |
| Kenyan | 135 | 3,000 |
| Ghanaian | 22 | 3,000 |
| Ethiopian | 9 | 3,000 |
The Filipino premium for elder care in the UAE is the same AED 500/month gap as housekeeping — notably smaller than the SAR 1,000/month elder-care premium in Saudi Arabia. UAE's larger Filipino supply (n=362 elder-care candidates) keeps that ceiling compressed.
Private drivers
| Nationality | Sample (n) | Median (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Filipino | 35 | 4,000 |
| Ugandan | 14 | 3,750 |
| Kenyan | 9 | 3,500 |
Drivers carry the highest absolute median across all four roles, reflecting the licence requirement and the longer working hours typical of driver contracts. Even the entry-level Kenyan driver median (AED 3,500) sits above every nanny and elder-care role except Filipino.
Five patterns the UAE data reveals
- The UAE Filipino premium is small. Across maid, nanny and elder care, Filipino candidates command roughly AED 500/month over African medians — a 17% premium, not the 30–40% premium some marketing pitches imply.
- Supply explains the compression. Filipino candidates make up 47% of the approved nanny pool and 32% of the maid pool. With that much supply the price ceiling has nowhere to run, even where Filipino training (DMW accreditation, English fluency) carries real value.
- Drivers anchor at a higher floor than care roles. Median AED 3,500–4,000 vs AED 3,000–3,500 for the rest — the licence and the hours matter more than the nationality.
- The UAE has a wider "premium-tier" group than KSA. Filipino + Sri Lankan + Cameroonian + Indonesian + Indian all cluster at the AED 3,500 nanny/maid median. In KSA the AED 3,500-equivalent tier is essentially Filipino-only.
- The lower-tier compression is also tight. Ugandan, Kenyan, Ethiopian, Zimbabwean medians all sit at AED 3,000 with overlapping interquartile ranges. Nationality matters less than experience and language inside that tier.
What pushes a worker to the top of the range
Within any nationality + role combination, four factors move a candidate up or down from the median:
- Experience: 3+ years generally adds AED 200–500/month. Use the Salary Index experience filter to see the actual gap for your target role.
- Language: English (for nannies tutoring schoolchildren) and Arabic (for elder care) command a premium of AED 200–500/month.
- City: Dubai and Abu Dhabi sit at the higher end of the range, especially for premium roles. Sharjah, Ajman and the northern emirates sit closer to the lower interquartile end.
- Live-in vs daily: live-in with one rest day per week is the standard structure. Daily attendance (worker keeps own accommodation) commands AED 500–1,500+ above the live-in median to compensate for housing.
Why the Filipino premium is smaller in the UAE than in Saudi Arabia
If you read our Saudi Arabia salary guide, you'll have noticed the Filipino premium there is significant: +25% for maids, +40% for elder care. In the UAE it's a flat ~17% across all care roles. The reason is supply.
| Role | UAE premium | KSA premium | Why the gap differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maid | +AED 500 (+17%) | +SAR 500 (+25%) | Same absolute amount; UAE's higher base compresses the percentage |
| Nanny | +AED 500 (+17%) | +SAR 700 (+30%) | KSA values Filipino English more for tutoring |
| Elder care | +AED 500 (+17%) | +SAR 1,000 (+40%) | KSA Filipino elder-care is scarcer; UAE pool is 362 deep |
| Driver | +AED 500 (+14%) | +SAR 500 (+20%) | Both markets cap at the same ceiling |
The pattern is clear: UAE supply (especially Filipino) is more saturated than KSA's, which compresses the premium to a flat AED 500/month regardless of role. KSA's scarcer Filipino supply lets the premium widen sharply for roles that genuinely benefit from Filipino training. If you're hiring for a basic role and don't strictly need DMW-accredited skills, the African nationalities give you the same baseline service at AED 6,000/year less.
The WPS rules and salary discipline
Domestic-worker wages in the UAE flow through the Ministry of Human Resources' Wage Protection System (WPS) — paid into the worker's MOHRE-linked bank account, not in cash. See our full UAE cost breakdown for how this fits into the overall budget. For salary specifically, three things matter:
- Late payment is logged. If you fall more than one month behind, the system surfaces it and the worker's complaint becomes much easier to file.
- Bonuses (Eid, year-end) should also move through WPS for the same paper-trail reason — otherwise they don't count toward gratuity calculations.
- Deductions for accommodation or food must be documented in the registered MOHRE contract, not handled as informal off-WPS arrangements.
Use the Salary Index for your exact case
These medians are aggregates. For your city (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, anywhere else), your experience preference, and your specific nationality — including the live 25th–75th percentile range — open the UAE salary index. For the full year-one cost breakdown including Tadbeer package, visa, gratuity reserves, and worked first-year examples, see the real cost of hiring a maid in the UAE. And if you haven't started yet, the complete Tadbeer hiring guide walks through eligibility, the 19 worker categories, and the contract obligations.
To see who's actually available at each nationality + role + city combination right now, browse caregivers in the UAE on Rufy — filter by Filipino, Kenyan, Ugandan and more, with each candidate's stated salary expectation live in their profile.