Live-in or full-time maid: which one does your home need?
It usually comes down to three things: whether you have a servant room, when in the day you need help, and your budget. Here is how the two arrangements compare in Delhi NCR.
| 8–12 hour shift | Live-in | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly salary (maid) | ₹16,000 – ₹20,000 | ₹22,000 |
| Servant room | Not needed | Required |
| Early mornings & late nights | Only inside the shift | Covered |
| Privacy at home | Home is yours after hours | Someone lives in |
| Weekly off | Agreed at booking | Agreed at booking |
| Usually suits | Working couples, smaller flats | Infants, elderly parents, large homes |
When a shift is the better choice
If there is no servant room, the decision is made for you — live-in placements without accommodation do not last, which is why the request form asks. But even with a room, a 10 or 12 hour shift is often the better fit for a working couple in a two or three bedroom flat: the work gets done, and the home is yours in the evening.
Shift lengths go 8, 10 and 12 hours. Each step adds about ₹2,000 a month for a maid, so size it to the work rather than to the day — a family that needs help from 8 to 6 needs a 10-hour shift, not a 12.
When live-in is worth it
Live-in makes sense when the need does not fit inside a shift: a newborn, a parent who cannot be left alone at night, a large house, or a family that is up at 5 and eats at 10. For those homes the live-in premium — ₹2,000 over a 12-hour maid — buys coverage no shift can.
For a newborn, the right hire is usually a live-in nanny rather than a maid; for an elderly parent, a live-in caretaker. A maid is hired for the house, not for a person.
- No servant room
Choose a 10 or 12 hour shift.
Hire a maid - Newborn at home
Choose a live-in nanny, not a maid.
Hire a nanny - Elderly parent alone
Choose a live-in caretaker.
Hire a caretaker
Still deciding?
The follow-up questions people ask once they have read the comparison.
How much more does a live-in maid cost?
A live-in maid earns ₹22,000 a month through neato, against ₹20,000 for a 12-hour shift and ₹16,000 for 8 hours.
Can I hire a live-in maid without a servant room?
Not through neato. A live-in placement needs somewhere for the staff member to stay, and one without it does not last — so the request asks.
Can I switch from a shift to live-in later?
Raise it with our team. A change of hours is a change to the engagement, so it is agreed first rather than changed on the day.
Know what you need? Raise the request.
The request takes under a minute and asks exactly what the app asks. No account, no payment up front — our team calls you back with matched, verified profiles.