By the Sevetu team
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Short answer
The best-paid household job in India is a live-in japa maid, who looks after a newborn and the mother after delivery: ₹25,000 to ₹35,000 or more a month on Sevetu's published ranges1. Then live-in driver (₹20,000 to ₹32,000)2, live-in patient attendant (₹18,000 to ₹30,000)3, live-in cook (₹15,000 to ₹28,000)4, nanny (₹15,000 to ₹28,000)5 and live-in maid (₹15,000 to ₹25,000)6.
These are national market ranges, not promises. City, experience and hours move the number.
The six jobs, and what each needs
1. Japa maid
Newborn bathing and massage, mother's care and diet, nights with the baby. Pay: ₹18,000 to ₹25,000 a month for a day japa, ₹25,000 to ₹35,000 or more live-in, and more for twins or a caesarean recovery1. Needs real newborn experience; families ask for it.
2. Driver
A family's car, school and office runs, errands. Pay: ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 full-time, ₹20,000 to ₹32,000 live-in2. Needs the right licence class for the car, and a clean record.
3. Patient attendant
Daily care for an elderly or bedridden person: bathing, mobility, meals, company. Pay: ₹12,000 to ₹22,000 a day attendant, ₹18,000 to ₹30,000 live-in3. GDA training helps, and it can be free.
4. Cook
Meals for one family, or slots in several houses. Pay: ₹3,000 to ₹8,000 part-time per house, ₹8,000 to ₹18,000 full-time, ₹15,000 to ₹28,000 live-in4. Needs the cuisine the family wants, and speed.
5. Nanny or babysitter
Childcare for a fixed window or the whole day. Pay: ₹6,000 to ₹14,000 part-time, ₹15,000 to ₹28,000 full-time or live-in5. Families want calm, patience and references.
6. Maid
Cleaning, dishes, laundry. Pay: ₹2,500 to ₹8,000 part-time, ₹10,000 to ₹20,000 full-time, ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 live-in6. Easiest to start, and several part-time houses add up.
How to move up to a better-paid job
- From maid to cook: cooking for a family is paid more than cleaning for the same hours. Learn the cuisine families near you ask for.
- From nanny to japa maid: newborn care is the best-paid skill in household work. Work alongside an experienced japa first.
- To patient attendant: a General Duty Assistant (GDA) course can be free under PMKVY. Free training routes →
- To driver: get the right licence class. Fees are low at central rates. Which licence you need →
Our take: fifteen years of experience with nothing written down means starting from zero every time. Keep a record: a verified profile, past agreements, a family who'll take a reference call. That record is what gets you the top of the band.
Is live-in worth it?
Live-in pays the most in every role. It also asks the most: you live away from your family, your day has no clear end, and privacy is limited. Before you agree, get these in writing: your own room, your meals, fixed working hours and a break, a full weekly off, and leave to visit home.
Count the hours. A live-in job at ₹25,000 for fourteen hours a day can pay less per hour than a full-time day job at ₹18,000 for nine.
Wherever you work
Never pay a fee to get the job. Agree pay, pay date, hours, weekly off, leave and notice in writing. Keep your original documents with you.
Read next: maid salary in 2027 · live-in or part-time, compared · nanny, japa or caretaker: which to train for · apps for maid jobs, compared · which cook job pays best
Questions people ask
A live-in japa maid, at ₹25,000 to ₹35,000 or more a month on Sevetu's published ranges, followed by live-in drivers and live-in patient attendants.
Among household jobs, japa care, patient attendant work and live-in cooking pay the most. Each needs skill more than a degree, and GDA training for patient care can be free.
Yes, in every role, because it asks for your nights and your time. Get your room, meals, hours, weekly off and leave in writing, and count the hours before you compare.
Learn to cook the food families near you want, take on more houses part-time, or train for patient care or newborn care, which pay more.
No. Never pay a fee or deposit to get any household job.
Sources
- Sevetu, What is a japa maid?, read 12 November 2026: "₹18,000 to ₹25,000 a month for a day japa of eight to twelve hours and ₹25,000 to ₹35,000 or more for live-in, with an extra ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 for twins or a caesarean recovery". sevetu.com
- Sevetu, Hire a driver, cost section, read 12 November 2026: full-time ₹15,000 to ₹25,000; live-in ₹20,000 to ₹32,000. sevetu.com/hire-a-driver/
- Sevetu, A patient caretaker at home, read 12 November 2026: "₹12,000 to ₹22,000 a month for a day attendant and ₹18,000 to ₹30,000 live-in". sevetu.com
- Sevetu, Hire a cook, cost section, read 12 November 2026: part-time ₹3,000 to ₹8,000; full-time ₹8,000 to ₹18,000; live-in ₹15,000 to ₹28,000. sevetu.com/hire-a-cook/
- Sevetu, Hire a nanny, cost section, read 12 November 2026: part-time babysitter ₹6,000 to ₹14,000; full-time or live-in nanny ₹15,000 to ₹28,000. sevetu.com/hire-a-nanny/
- Sevetu, Hire a maid, cost section, read 12 November 2026: part-time ₹2,500 to ₹8,000; full-time ₹10,000 to ₹20,000; live-in ₹15,000 to ₹25,000. sevetu.com/hire-a-house-help/
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Written by the Sevetu teamSevetu is a hiring marketplace for household work in India, operated by Fiel Private Limited. These guides come from the questions families and workers ask us. Nothing here is sponsored, and where a number has no defensible source we say so instead of inventing one. About Sevetu
