3 Singapore Families on Hiring a Maid Agency: Real Costs

Everyone's got an auntie who has a maid horror story, and everyone's got another auntie whose helper has been with the family for 12 years and is basically part of the household WhatsApp group chat. The truth about hiring through a maid agency in Singapore usually sits somewhere in between — and it really comes down to homework, budget, and a bit of luck.

We spoke to three composite households (real situations, details adjusted for privacy) who went through different agencies, different budgets, and different outcomes. Here's what actually happened, dollar for dollar.

Case Study 1: The Tan Family, Tampines — First-Time Employers, New BTO

The Tans are a dual-income couple in their early 30s with a newborn and a 5-room BTO in Tampines North. Both work full-time (one in finance, one in engineering), and with no grandparents nearby to help with childcare, they decided a live-in helper was non-negotiable after the confinement period ended.

They went with a mid-sized agency along Serangoon Road, chosen because the agency had decent Google reviews and offered a