Latin America Collection

You are wise to do your homework before hiring a maid. This
usually means asking around the neighborhood, or another
trusted expat who lives in town, to find out who is responsible
and trustworthy.
A fulltime maid, including cleaning and wash service, costs
around $75 a month. You can also hire someone to come to your
house a couple of times a week for about $20 a month, plus
money for cleaning supplies.
In general, Nicaragua has the lowest market wages in Central
America, averaging $.67 an hour fully loaded (compared to
Costa Rica, the highest, at $2.25). The minimum wage in
Nicaragua is $.42/hour. At a 48-hour workweek, this comes out
to $81-$129 per month.
Construction workers usually make about $65 to $200 per
month, and labor in the agriculture of fishing industry often
make even less than that.


NOTE: While these are the market wages, they are also, in most
cases, starvation wages. We do not condone exploitation of an
impoverished workforce by any means. Some expats, the ones
who are more concerned with social justice and human dignity
than profit, pay wages well above the going market rate. Every
Cordoba
counts in this country. If you can afford to pay a more
dignified wage to your employees, don't feel like you shouldn't
just because your neighbor isn't. Expats who have been living
here for a while will tell you not to, so as not to skew wage
expectations. But you can pay someone a living wage without
throwing off the entire national economy. The extra couple of
dollars can make a difference for employees who are struggling
to feed their families, or pay for needed medicines and school
supplies. Nicaragua is an extremely poor country and you are a
guest here. Be a good diplomat.
Domestic help is inexpensive in Nicaragua.