How Much Do Live-In Nannies Cost? A Hefty Price to Pay

Most parents would love to be hands-on moms and dads, but that’s not always possible. There are situations when one needs additional help to care for their children. Parents with demanding and irregular jobs or who travel extensively benefit from getting a live-in nanny.

Live-in nannies offer the perfect solution when you want professional and reliable in-home childcare, ensuring that your kids are looked after. But how much do live-in nannies cost, and are they worth it?

What Is a Live-in Nanny?

As the name suggests, live-in nannies are nannies or babysitters who live with you and your family and provide care for your child or children full-time. Live-in nannies have long work hours, ranging from 10 to 12 hours per day, five times a week.

Depending on your childcare needs or the agreed-upon arrangement, evening babysitting can also be included several days a week. Live-in nannies spend plenty of time with the children and usually become a part of the family as mutual respect and trust develop between the nanny, parents, and the children.

Live-in nannies often also become the sole caregiver of the child. However, parents need to remember that, despite the nanny living in their house, being readily available, and on friendly terms, you still need to respect their privacy and time during non-working hours.

Typical Responsibilities of Live-in Nannies

When hiring live-in nannies, it’s extremely important to have a well-defined contract that outlines their responsibilities. This is because live-in nannies live in the same house as the family, which means boundaries can often get blurred and one may start taking them for granted. They are not household helpers, so the parents should set clear expectations before employment.

The primary role of a live-in nanny is to take care of your children and look after them for the agreed-upon hours of the day, typically the entire day from 7 am to 4 pm or 8 am to 5 pm. These hours may vary so long as it is discussed and agreed upon before employment.

Aside from taking care of the children, live-in nannies can also take up other chores directly associated with the children, like preparing meals, school drops and pick-ups, etc.

Here are some common responsibilities of live-in nannies:

#1. Feeding and preparing the meals of the child/children.
#2. Bathing, changing, and dressing the child/children.
#3. Helping with learning activities that are engaging and educating to the child/children.
#4. School drop-off and pick-ups.
#5. Transporting the child/children to after-school activities like sports practices, music and dance lessons, and other activities approved by the parents.
#6. Helping with the child/children’s evening routine that may include but is not limited to dinner, baths, and putting them to bed.
#7. Supervise the child/children during the night if the parents are working or are overseas.

Live-in nannies are only required to help with the household chores if stipulated in their contracts and they’ve agreed to it. This typically includes simple household duties associated with caregiving, such as:

#1. Meal and snack preparations.
#2. Ensuring that the children’s room (or nursery) is clean.
#3. Sweeping the floors, mainly the children’s bedroom/s and play area.
#4. Changing the children’s bed linens and doing the children’s laundry.
#5. Shopping for snacks and other immediate needs and wants of the children.
#6. Other household duties that were agreed upon before employment.

However, these duties must be clearly stated; otherwise, you can’t expect your live-in nanny to meet these responsibilities.

How Much Do Live-in Nannies Cost?

A lot of people are under the impression that the cost of live-in nannies is cheaper than live-out or “day-only” nannies. However, there is not a lot of difference between the two expenses, with live-in nannies sometimes being more expensive to keep in the long run.

The hourly rate of a live-in nanny is dependent on several factors like the number of children they will look after, the ages of the kids, the nanny’s experience, and the duties you are going to task them with.

You will also be providing for their accommodations, which may include a bedroom with an attached bathroom in your home or a separate living accommodation but within walking distance of your house. Additionally, meals are also provided for by the employer.

Live-in nannies are commonly paid by the hour, and in most cases, they work 10 to 12 hours daily. Their rates are higher than stay-out nannies because, aside from their services, they also offer flexibility, reliability, and availability.

Your live-in nanny also gets paid for hours when they can’t go out or when they are on call. And depending on your state, they can be entitled to overtime pay, too. For example, live-in nannies working in Maryland and Hawaii are eligible for overtime pay if they exceed more than 40 hours per week, and those in New York receive overtime pay if they do more than 44 hours of work weekly.

Here’s an overview of the hourly rate for live-in nannies in some major US cities as of 2023:

#1. Atlanta, Georgia – $19.25/hour.
#2. Brooklyn, New York – $21/hour.
#3. Charlotte, North Carolina – $17.50/hour.
#4. Chicago, Illinois – $18.25/hour.
#5. Denver, Colorado – $19/hour.
#6. Orlando, Florida – $17.25/hour.
#7. Phoenix, Arizona – $17.50/hour.
#8. San Antonio, Texas – $16/hour.
#9. Seattle, Washington – $22.25/hour.
#10. Washington, DC- $20/hour.