Live-in helper pay in Jamaica 2026: J$14,000–J$20,000 a week

A live-in helper in Jamaica is paid J$14,000 to J$20,000 per week in 2026, plus room and board. A full-time live-out helper doing the same job and the same hours is paid J$18,000 to J$25,000 per week.

That gap confuses people, so it is worth being direct about it: the live-in figure is lower because the household is also providing housing and food. The cash in her hand is smaller. The total value of what she receives is much closer than the two numbers suggest.

The two numbers, side by side

Both figures assume a 45 to 50 hour week. If you are asking for more than that, you are not looking at these bands any more.

What room and board is actually worth

Be honest with yourself about what you are offering, because she certainly will be. “Room and board” that means a private room, a door that locks, her own space to rest, and meals she genuinely eats is worth a great deal, and it moves her toward the lower end of the band quite fairly.

A corner of a utility room and whatever is left over after dinner is not room and board. If that is the offer, you should be paying at or above the top of the live-in band, and you should expect her to leave for a live-out job at the first opportunity.

Where you are in the island still matters

The live-in band above is national. Day rates vary a lot by parish, and that pressure feeds through to live-in pay too. Kingston and St. Andrew sit at the top of the country at J$700–J$1,000 a day standard, while St. Thomas is the lowest-cost parish at J$450–J$650. We publish the full parish-by-parish table in domestic helper wages by parish.

What you still owe, whatever she is paid

Live-in does not change your obligations as an employer. NIS, NHT and PAYE apply exactly as they would for a live-out helper, and “she lives here so it is different” is not a position that survives contact with the law. We set out what you actually have to file in how to legally hire a helper in Jamaica.

Put the arrangement in writing before she moves in

Live-in arrangements go wrong in a particular way: nothing was ever agreed out loud, so the working day quietly becomes the whole day. The fix is boring and it works. Write down the finishing time, the days off, what happens on a public holiday, what the room includes, and what meals are provided.

Every CareLink placement includes a written role brief for exactly this reason. It is not a legal contract; it is a shared understanding that both sides can point at later.

Questions families ask

Looking for a live-in helper?

CareLink places verified helpers across Jamaica. Every caregiver clears four checks before she reaches your door: government ID checked against her face, a current JCF Police Certificate, references we telephone ourselves, and an interview. See our verified helpers or the fixed placement fee on pricing.