2026-10-01 · 8 min read
Domestic helper wages in Jamaica by parish (2026 rates)
CareLink Jamaica
Trusted care, close to home · All 14 parishes
A domestic helper in Jamaica is paid between J$450 and J$1,000 a day in 2026, depending on the parish. Kingston and St. Andrew sit at the top of the country. St. Thomas sits at the bottom. Everywhere else falls in between, and the gap between the two ends is roughly double.
Below is the full table. Standard is ordinary household work. Premium is what the same parish pays when the job is genuinely harder, or the experience is harder to find.
Day rates by parish, 2026
| Parish | Standard | Premium | Local note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston | $700–$1,000 | $1,200–$1,800 | the highest in the country |
| St. Andrew | $700–$1,000 | $1,200–$1,800 | level with Kingston Metro |
| St. James | $700–$950 | $1,100–$1,600 | Montego Bay tourism lifts the premium tier |
| St. Catherine | $650–$900 | $1,000–$1,500 | Portmore and Spanish Town track Kingston closely |
| St. Ann | $650–$900 | $1,000–$1,400 | Ocho Rios and the resort areas run above the parish average |
| Hanover | $600–$850 | $1,000–$1,400 | the Negril end of the parish runs higher |
| Westmoreland | $600–$850 | $1,000–$1,400 | Negril sits at the top of the band |
| Portland | $550–$800 | $900–$1,300 | Port Antonio sits above the parish average |
| Trelawny | $550–$800 | $900–$1,300 | the Falmouth cruise port adds a premium on ship days |
| Manchester | $550–$800 | $900–$1,300 | Mandeville is at the higher end |
| St. Mary | $500–$750 | $850–$1,200 | largely rural, so rates are even across the parish |
| St. Elizabeth | $500–$700 | $800–$1,150 | lower across the parish than the national average |
| Clarendon | $500–$750 | $850–$1,200 | May Pen and the rural areas are similar |
| St. Thomas | $450–$650 | $750–$1,050 | the lowest-cost parish in the country |
All figures in Jamaican dollars, per day. These are the same numbers we publish on every parish page and quote to families on the phone.
Full-time, weekly
If you are hiring full time rather than by the day, the national bands are more useful than the parish day rate:
- Helper or housekeeper, full-time live-out: J$18,000–J$25,000 per week, for 45 to 50 hours
- Helper or housekeeper, live-in: J$14,000–J$20,000 per week, plus room and board
The live-in figure is lower because housing and food are provided. We go through that trade in live-in helper pay in Jamaica.
Why the parish gap is as wide as it is
Two things drive it. The first is cost of living: a helper in Kingston Metro is paying Kingston Metro rent and Kingston Metro transport out of her wage, and no amount of goodwill changes that arithmetic. The second is competition. In Kingston and St. Andrew there are simply more households hiring, so a good helper has options and prices accordingly.
Resort parishes behave differently again. St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland show a higher premium band than their standard band would suggest, because hotel and villa households bid for the same people.
What the band does not include
The figures above are wages. They are not the whole cost of employing someone. NIS, NHT and PAYE sit on top, and they are your obligation as the employer, not hers. If you have not filed before, start with how to legally hire a helper in Jamaica.
Hiring part time rather than full time changes the maths again, and not always in the direction people expect. See part-time helper rates.
Questions families ask
What is the going rate for a domestic helper in Jamaica in 2026?
It depends on the parish. Standard day rates run from J$450–J$650 in St. Thomas to J$700–J$1,000 in Kingston and St. Andrew. Full-time live-out work is J$18,000–J$25,000 per week nationally, for 45 to 50 hours.
Why does helper pay differ so much between parishes?
Cost of living and local demand. Kingston Metro has the highest housing and transport costs in the country, and the most competition for experienced helpers. Rural parishes have lower costs and fewer competing households.
What is the difference between the standard and premium rate?
Premium applies where the work is genuinely harder or the skills are scarcer: a large household, young children plus elder care in the same home, special-needs experience, or a resort-area household paying to keep good staff.
Should I pay above the band for my parish?
If you want to keep someone good, usually yes. The bands describe what is being paid, not what is generous. Paying at the top of your parish band is the cheapest retention policy there is.
Hiring in your parish
CareLink recruits in your own parish, so the helper can realistically get to work. Every caregiver clears four checks before she reaches your door. See our verified helpers, or the fixed placement fee on pricing.
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