Home Caregiver Cost in Malaysia (2026)

Home caregiver cost in Malaysia runs from RM15-25 an hour for a direct hire to RM30-50 an hour through a care platform, with nursing-trained caregivers at RM36-50 or more. A typical part-time arrangement of about 4 hours a day on weekdays comes to RM800-2,400 a month. This guide breaks down every ringgit: hourly rates, monthly maths, agency fees and the extras families forget to budget.

What a home caregiver actually does

A home caregiver helps your parent with daily living in their own house: bathing, toileting, dressing, meals, medication reminders, mobility support, companionship and light housekeeping related to your parent’s care. Nursing-trained caregivers add clinical tasks such as wound care, injections and tube feeding. What they do determines what you pay, because clinical skills sit at the top of the rate card.

If your parent needs medical tasks after a hospital stay, look at post-hospital care rather than a basic companion caregiver.

Hourly rates by hire type

Hire type	Hourly rate	What you get
Direct hire (you find and employ the caregiver)	RM15-25	Cheapest option; you handle vetting, scheduling and replacements
Care platform (for example Homage)	RM30-50	Screened caregivers, app booking, backup cover, insurance
Nursing-trained caregiver	RM36-50+	Medication, wound care, tube feeding, post-hospital needs

A few things to note:

• Most providers set a minimum booking of 4 hours per visit, so very short visits are rarely available.
• Nursing-trained rates apply when your parent needs clinical tasks, not just companionship and help with daily living.
• Rates in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor tend to sit at the top of each range; smaller towns are usually cheaper.

Monthly maths: 4-hour and 8-hour schedules

Here is what the hourly rates turn into over a month of weekdays, roughly 22 working days.

4 hours a day, 5 days a week (about 88 hours a month)

Hire type	Monthly cost
Direct hire (RM15-25/hr)	RM1,300-2,200
Platform (RM30-50/hr)	RM2,600-4,400
Nursing-trained (RM36-50/hr)	RM3,200-4,400+

Lighter schedules of 3-4 days a week at direct-hire rates are how many families land inside the typical RM800-2,400 part-time range.

8 hours a day, 5 days a week (about 176 hours a month)

Hire type	Monthly cost
Direct hire (RM15-25/hr)	RM2,600-4,400
Platform (RM30-50/hr)	RM5,300-8,800
Nursing-trained (RM36-50/hr)	RM6,300-8,800+

Once you pass 6-8 hours of paid care a day, a live-in caregiver at RM1,800-3,500 a month usually costs less. See the full numbers in our live-in caregiver salary guide.

Agency placement fees

If you want a full-time or live-in caregiver rather than hourly help, agencies charge a one-off placement fee of RM3,000-5,000. That fee typically covers sourcing, screening, paperwork and a replacement guarantee if the first match fails within an agreed period. What exactly is covered varies between agencies, so ask for the terms in writing before you pay.

Hourly and part-time bookings normally carry no placement fee. You pay only for the hours booked.

The hidden extras

The hourly rate is not the whole bill. Budget for these:

• Foreign helper costs. If you hire a foreign caregiver or maid, there are government levies, work permit renewals, medical checks and insurance. The amounts change with policy, so treat any fixed figure you see online with caution and check the current requirements before budgeting.
• EPF and SOCSO for direct local hires. If you employ a local caregiver directly, statutory contribution rules may apply to you as the employer. The rules for domestic employees have been evolving, so check the current EPF and SOCSO guidance rather than assuming you are exempt.
• Public holiday and overtime rates. Many caregivers charge more on public holidays or beyond agreed hours. Settle this in writing at the start.
• Transport and meals. For long shifts, families commonly provide meals, and some cover transport to the house.

Platform and agency rates look higher per hour partly because some of these costs are bundled in.

How Bantuan Warga Emas offsets the cost

Bantuan Warga Emas is a JKM cash aid of RM500 a month for eligible low-income senior citizens. If your parent qualifies, that RM500 covers a large share of an RM800-1,200 part-time month, or meaningfully reduces a heavier schedule.

Eligibility is means-tested and applications go through the district Social Welfare Office. Our government aid for the elderly guide explains the process and the other schemes available.

Keeping the cost sensible

Three ways families overspend:

1. Booking nursing-trained hours for companion-level needs. If your parent needs supervision, meals and help with bathing, a standard caregiver is enough.
2. Paying hourly past the crossover. Beyond about 6-8 hours a day, compare against live-in pricing before renewing.
3. Skipping the extras budget. Add 10-20% on top of the hourly maths for levies, holidays and transport so the real bill is not a surprise.

If you want a number for your exact situation, a Tenteram care advisor can map your parent’s needs to a schedule and quote. Part-time care with Tenteram starts from RM800 a month, and the first 15-minute consultation is free: /contact/.

The right question is not “what is the cheapest hour of care” but “what schedule keeps my parent safe at a cost we can sustain for years”. Start from the care need, then price the schedule. For the wider picture across all care types, see our elderly care cost overview.