Costa Rican Domestic Help

March 20th, 2008 · 14 Comments

I just finished eating some wonderful Costa Rican style chicken soup.

I didn’t eat at a restaurant. I ate at home. We have a live-in full-time cook/maid/nanny.

Before you think we are rich or something… I should tell you that we pay only about $400 a month and we are paying on the extreme high end for domestic help.

You can easily hire a Nicaraguan domestic helper for around $120/month and Costa Rican domestic help is usually around $200-$300 per month.

Costa Rican’s are naturally very loving to children (even complete strangers) so we didn’t really have to try hard to find a nanny who shared our child rearing beliefs. It’s just the default here.

Extreme cleaning is also the default here. Although outside looks horrible upon first impressions for most foreigners (including Americans), Costa Ricans are clean freaks inside their house. Our maid sweeps and mops the entire house about three times per day.

She is also an extremely good cook. I’m having a very hard time losing weight with having a Costa Rican cook live with us.

This is one of my favorite parts of Costa Rica. In my opinion, you haven’t really experiences Costa Rica until you have moved here and hired a Costa Rican domestic helper.

-James D. Brausch

Tags: Costa Rica

14 responses so far ↓

1 Anil // Mar 22, 2008 at 10:19 am

Sharing of experiences on domestic help thru Costa Rica HQ .org blog brings out cleanliness, love for children and the culinary expertise of Costa Rican women. hats off!!
2 Joseph // Mar 22, 2008 at 1:10 pm

Really enjoy your “real life” experience that you give us here on Costa Rica HQ. It will help those of us who have never made the move to another country, less visited one. God bless.
3 Teri // Mar 23, 2008 at 8:52 am

I really am tired of your bogus comments on my blog directing traffic to your site.
Let me put this nicely…..
Piss off.
Write something of interest instead of commenting on everyone elses blogs
to get yourself more readers.
Quit wasting my time deleting your superficial comments. Teri
4 JHS // Mar 23, 2008 at 3:29 pm

Thanks for contributing this post to this week’s Carnival of Family Life hosted at Beauty and Personal Grooming! Be sure to check out the other wonderful entries this week! And if you would like to host a future edition of the Carnival, you can check out the schedule here and then let me know the week you are interested in.

Have a wonderful Sunday — and Easter (if you are celebrating)!
5 Angela // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:26 am

I believe that you are a little off on what you are saying about paying a Nicaraguan as a maid. We have had several maids over the time that we have lived in Costa Rica and if you want to keep a good one, you must pay them a decent wage. $400 a month is a good salary for a large family whether they are Costa Rican or Nicaraguan. You can actually get a Philippine maid for this amount. We have had Costa Rican, Nicaraguan and Philippine and far prefer Nicaraguan. They seem to be much more conscientious and grateful as compared to my experience with Costa Rican maids.

NEVER get a maid without several references. It is best to get the friend or family member of someone that you know.
6 Susan // Mar 28, 2008 at 8:48 am

Thanks so much for checking into MotherJungle. I’ll keep checking you out too!
7 Teri // Mar 28, 2008 at 2:09 pm

You’re still at it, leaving stupid comments with bogus names.
Please don’t even visit my site.
I don’t like your comments directing my readers.
Thanks, but no thanks and PA-Leezz - just go away.
8 Tip Diva | Carnival Of Tips - March 29, 2008 // Mar 29, 2008 at 1:00 pm

[…] Brausch presents Costa Rican Domestic Help posted at Costa Rica […]
9 Teri // Mar 30, 2008 at 9:56 am

GO AWAY - Don’t even visit my site!
You’re such a joke!
Why can’t you leave me alone???????
10 Tip Diva | Carnival Of Tips - April 5, 2008 // Apr 6, 2008 at 11:15 pm

[…] Brausch presents Costa Rican Domestic Help posted at Costa Rica […]
11 dylan // Apr 12, 2008 at 4:22 pm

How did you find the help to hire?
12 Issue #7: Thanks from Vida com Esperanca !! at Social Entrepreneurship Today // May 1, 2008 at 7:46 am

[…] Brausch presents Costa Rican Domestic Help posted at Costa Rica […]
13 WORDSBlog » Blog Archive » Everyone’s Blog 5 // May 1, 2008 at 10:30 am

[…] domestic help… sounds expensive??? You will be very surprised! You may view this article at Costa Rica, HQ Now is a good time to tell you why this magazine exists. I am the Author of WORDS A Prophecy […]
14 Global PWD » Blog Archive » » Humanity without technology - May 16, 2008 // May 15, 2008 at 7:46 pm

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