Household Staff Costs 2027: Salaries by Role and Country

Household Staff Costs 2027: Salaries by Role and Country

Household staff in the UK cost from £42,000 a year for a housekeeper to £220,000 and above for an estate manager. In the US the range runs from $60,000 for a nanny to $425,000 and above for an estate manager. These are gross annual salaries, based on our 2026 placements, job offers and candidates’ salary expectations.

Household staff salaries by role and country

Role	United Kingdom	United States	Switzerland	Monaco	UAE
Butler	£50,000 to £110,000	$75,000 to $200,000	CHF 110,000 to CHF 130,000	€90,000 to €120,000	AED 120,000 to AED 200,000
House Manager	£70,000 to £120,000	$85,000 to $180,000	CHF 100,000 to CHF 140,000	€60,000 to €100,000	AED 240,000 to AED 480,000
Estate Manager	£75,000 to £220,000+	$145,000 to $425,000+	CHF 110,000 to CHF 150,000	€80,000 to €130,000	AED 360,000 to AED 480,000
Personal Assistant	£60,000 to £135,000	$80,000 to $250,000	CHF 90,000 to CHF 130,000	€70,000 to €100,000	AED 300,000 to AED 900,000
Nanny	£50,000 to £95,000	$60,000 to $170,000	CHF 80,000 to CHF 120,000	€52,000 to €57,000	AED 216,000 to AED 300,000
Housekeeper	£42,000 to £80,000	$75,000 to $160,000	CHF 80,000 to CHF 120,000	€45,000 to €55,000	AED 180,000 to AED 300,000
Private Chef	£65,000 to £200,000	$100,000 to $310,000+	CHF 110,000 to CHF 130,000	€90,000 to €110,000	AED 180,000 to AED 360,000
Chauffeur	£50,000 to £90,000	$80,000 to $140,000	CHF 90,000 to CHF 120,000	€60,000 to €90,000	AED 140,000 to AED 230,000

All figures are gross annual salaries in each country’s own currency. They are ranges, not fixed rates: each runs from a smaller household to a larger one. Use them to set a budget, then check the figure for your own role with us.

How to read the ranges

• The bottom of a range is a smaller household, a single property and a candidate stepping up into the role.
• The top of a range is a large or formal household, several properties, travel, a team to lead or a high-profile principal.
• Live-in roles usually include accommodation, which candidates weigh against salary.
• US salaries are higher than UK salaries for most roles. Compare them with care: they are different markets and currencies.

Senior roles above the standard range

• Senior and head butlers: £75,000 to £110,000 in the UK and $140,000 to $200,000 in the US.
• Senior, Norland-trained nannies: £95,000 to £140,000 and above in the UK.
• Travelling nannies: £55,000 to £110,000 in the UK, $70,000 to $150,000 in the US and AED 300,000 to AED 600,000 in the UAE.
• Head chefs for principal households with daily service and entertaining: £110,000 to £190,000 and above in the UK.
• Multi-property estate managers sit at the top of the estate manager range.

What it costs on top of salary

Salary is not the whole cost of employing someone in a private home. As the employer you also pay:

• Employer’s National Insurance: 15% on earnings above £5,000 a year (£417 a month) in the 2026/27 tax year.
• Workplace pension: private households must auto-enrol eligible staff, even if they employ just one person such as a nanny. The minimum is 8% of qualifying earnings (£6,240 to £50,270 in 2026/27), of which at least 3% comes from the employer. Staff earning over £10,000 a year must be enrolled.
• Holiday: most employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for someone working 5 days a week. Bank holidays can be counted within it.
• Insurance: anyone employing a nanny or housekeeper at home needs employers’ liability insurance, unless they employ only close family members. Many home insurance policies include it, so check yours.
• Benefits you choose to offer: accommodation, a car, health insurance, travel and bonuses are common in senior roles and are paid on top of base salary.

In the US, a household employer also pays:

• Social Security and Medicare: if you pay one household employee $3,000 or more in cash wages in 2026, you withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. The employer’s share is 7.65% (6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare), and Social Security applies to wages up to $184,500 in 2026.
• Federal unemployment tax: if you pay $1,000 or more in cash wages to household employees in any calendar quarter, you pay federal unemployment tax: 6.0% on the first $7,000 of each employee’s wages, usually 0.6% after the credit for state unemployment tax.
• State taxes and insurance: state unemployment tax and, in many states, workers’ compensation or disability insurance. Rules differ by state, so check with a household payroll provider.

Budgeting for a household team

A typical first hire is a housekeeper or nanny. As the household grows, families add a house manager to run the staff and suppliers, then a chef, chauffeur or PA. Large estates add an estate manager above the house manager. Budget for the salary, the employer costs above, and accommodation or a car where the role needs one.

Hiring household staff?

Tell us the role and we send a shortlist of vetted, reference-checked candidates within 24 hours. There are no upfront fees: you pay only when we place someone, and every placement comes with a free replacement guarantee. See our household staffing agency page, or read the full 2027 salary report.

We place household staff in cities including London, Dubai, Monaco, Geneva and New York.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest household role to hire? In the UK, a housekeeper, from £42,000 a year. In the US, a nanny, from $60,000.

What is the most expensive household role? An estate manager: £75,000 to £220,000 and above in the UK and $145,000 to $425,000 and above in the US.

Are these figures gross or net? Gross annual salary, before the employee’s tax and before the employer’s own costs.

Where do these figures come from? They are Lighthouse Careers ranges based on our 2026 placements, job offers and candidates’ salary expectations.