Hiring a migrant domestic worker in Singapore comes with two costs that often get mixed up: the security bond and maid insurance. One protects the government against breaches of employment rules. The other protects the worker, and in some cases the employer, when illness, injury, or accidents happen. The short answer is this: the required security bond is S$5,000, while mandatory maid insurance must include at least S$60,000 in medical insurance coverage and S$60,000 in perso

For most homes in Singapore, a part-time cleaning service is cheaper than hiring a live-in maid. The answer changes when the household needs daily help, childcare, eldercare support, cooking, laundry, or someone available beyond a few cleaning hours a week. A fair comparison is not just monthly salary versus hourly rate. A live-in maid, formally a migrant domestic worker, comes with recurring costs, one-off costs, and employer duties. A part-time cleaner is simpler, but the h