House Cleaner Cost in Nigeria 2026: Housekeeper, Nanny, Deep Cleaning and Agency Fees

Paying for help at home is one of the most common hiring decisions in any Nigerian household, and one of the least documented. There is no official price list. What exists is a mix of job adverts, a few careful guides and what families and agencies say on record. We gathered the 2026 figures we could verify, with the source and month beside each one.

How much does a house cleaner charge per day in Nigeria?

The most detailed city-by-city figures come from the Guardian's guide to housekeeper daily rates, published on 11 April 2026 and based on interviews with housekeepers in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

The same guide says a cleaner gets through about 8 to 12 rooms a day in Lagos and Abuja. It also suggests adding ₦500 to ₦1,500 a day if you expect the cleaner to bring their own cleaning products.

What about Uyo and Calabar?

We found no published survey of cleaning rates for Uyo, Calabar or most other state capitals. The Guardian's "smaller cities" row is the closest guide. Ask two or three cleaners for their daily rate and compare.

How much do cleaning companies charge?

Cleaning companies cost more than an individual because they bring equipment, chemicals and a team. These are the 2026 ranges we found:

The Naijasabi figures come from a guide written for people starting cleaning businesses, so read them as typical asking prices rather than a survey.

Why is post-construction cleaning so expensive?

After building or renovation work, cleaners have to remove cement splashes, paint drops, sticker glue on glass, and fine dust from every surface and fitting. It can take a team several days and often needs scrubbing machines and pressure washers. Ask for a site visit before the quote, and agree whether debris removal is included.

What does a live-in or live-out housekeeper cost?

Monthly pay for a housekeeper or house help depends on whether they live with you, how many hours they work, and where you live. Here is what employers actually advertised in 2026:

These adverts are mostly for trained housekeepers in high-income areas. Informal arrangements pay less. The Guardian's April 2026 guide puts live-in housekeepers at ₦30,000 to ₦80,000 a month plus room and food. In September 2024, Nairametrics reported a Lagos maid earning ₦30,000 a month with accommodation, and an agency that said a maid in Ikoyi might earn ₦80,000 against ₦50,000 for the same job in Iyana Ipaja.

Live-in or live-out: which costs more?

A live-in worker usually takes a lower cash wage because you provide a room and often food. A live-out worker needs more cash to cover rent and daily transport. The Guardian guide warns families not to treat free accommodation as half the salary.

Worked example: live-out housekeeper in Abuja

Say you want someone five days a week at the experienced Abuja rate.

1. Daily rate: ₦8,000.
2. Days per month: about 22.
3. Monthly pay: 22 x ₦8,000 = ₦176,000.

At the basic Abuja rate of ₦5,000, the same schedule is 22 x ₦5,000 = ₦110,000. Compare that with an Abuja live-in advert at ₦150,000 plus a room, and the gap is smaller than many families expect.

Worked example: a weekly cleaner on the Lagos Mainland

1. One visit a week at ₦7,000.
2. About 4.3 visits a month: 4.3 x ₦7,000 = ₦30,100.
3. Add ₦1,000 a visit if the cleaner buys supplies: about ₦4,300 more.

That is roughly ₦34,400 a month for a clean home once a week, without a full-time worker.

How much does a nanny cost in Nigeria?

Nanny pay depends on training, the number and age of the children, and whether the nanny lives in.

All three are adverts in Lagos. We found no published 2026 nanny pay figures for Port Harcourt, Ibadan or Uyo.

Is ₦70,000 a fair wage for a house help?

Nigeria's national minimum wage is ₦70,000 a month, signed into law in July 2024. The law does not cover establishments with fewer than 25 workers, so a household with one or two staff is usually outside it. Still, many fair employers treat it as a floor.

The Guardian guide divides ₦70,000 by 22 working days to get about ₦3,182 a day as the absolute minimum daily rate, and says experienced housekeepers in big cities deserve ₦5,000 to ₦8,000 a day. It also points out that if your cleaner spends ₦1,500 on transport to reach you, a ₦3,000 daily rate leaves them with ₦1,500 for a full day's work.

Our minimum wage guide explains who the law covers and what ₦70,000 buys in 2026.

Agency or direct: which is better?

Hiring through an agency

• The agency finds candidates and may run background, medical and reference checks.
• Some agencies replace a worker who leaves early.
• Some, such as Strategic Outsourcing Limited's domestic staff service, employ the worker themselves with a contract, pension and health insurance.
• You pay an agency fee on top. Agencies rarely publish this, so ask what it is, what it covers and whether there is a replacement guarantee, and get the answer in writing.
• Nairametrics reported in 2024 that one Lagos agency charged a 50 per cent higher service fee for clients in Ikoyi, Lekki and Victoria Island.

Hiring directly

• Usually cheaper, because there is no fee.
• You must check identity, references and guarantors yourself.
• If the worker leaves, you start again.

What to agree in writing before day one

Many disputes between families and house helps come from things nobody wrote down. In the 2024 Nairametrics report, one worker said ₦10,000 had been removed from his ₦30,000 salary without warning. Agree these points on paper and both sign:

1. Duties: which rooms, laundry, cooking, school runs, childcare.
2. Hours: start and finish times, and what happens with overtime.
3. Days off: which days, and how many a month.
4. Pay: the amount, the payment date and how it is paid.
5. Food and room: what is provided, and whether it is part of the pay.
6. Transport: who pays for live-out travel.
7. Supplies: who buys cleaning products.
8. Deductions: none without a written reason both sides agree.
9. Probation: a trial period, often a few weeks, with pay.
10. Leave and sick days: how many, and whether they are paid.
11. Notice: how many days either side gives before leaving.
12. House rules: visitors, phone use, rules around the children.

How to hire a cleaner safely

• See a valid ID and check it. Ask for at least one reference you can call.
• Start with a paid trial day before a long arrangement.
• Never ask a worker to hand over their phone or ID as security.
• Pay on time, every time. It is the cheapest way to keep a good worker.

On Gikswork, you can post a job for a house cleaner, housekeeper, nanny, deep clean or after-building clean and say what you will pay. Every worker has their NIN or BVN checked before taking a job, ratings go both ways, and the money is held in escrow, secured by EscrowPay, until the work is done. Employers pay no Gikswork fee on hiring. See our fees and safety pages for details.

Sources

• The Guardian, Housekeeper daily room cleaning amount in Nigeria, 11 April 2026
• Naijasabi, How to start a cleaning business in Nigeria 2026
• VisCorner, Cost of industrial cleaning services in Nigeria, 2026
• Nairametrics, Families struggle to cope as cost of hiring house helps soars, 14 September 2024
• HotNigerianJobs, Experienced Housekeeper, Live-in, Ikoyi, 19 August 2026
• HotNigerianJobs, Professional Housekeeper, Katampe Extension, Abuja, 15 July 2026
• Jobberman, Live-in housekeeper listings
• HotNigerianJobs, Nanny at Strategic Outsourcing Limited, 27 July 2026
• HotNigerianJobs, Live-In Nanny, Ikoyi, 14 September 2026
• HotNigerianJobs, Experienced Nanny, Lagos Island, 6 March 2026
• Profolio, Plumber pay guide 2026, on minimum wage exemptions
• Vanguard, Workers that won't benefit from minimum wage, 25 July 2024