Live-In Helpers in Italy and Germany
Thea had heard that in Italy and Germany many families bring in a woman from abroad to live in the home and give care.
Picture a couple named Basil, 74, and Thea, 72. Basil's father is 90 and lives alone. Thea had heard that in Italy and Germany many families bring in a woman from abroad to live in the home and give care. She asked Basil to find out how common it is and what it costs.
"Twenty-four hours, one person, for 2,800 euros a month?" Basil said, reading a consumer page.
"Read the next line," Thea said.
"It says one person around the clock is not legal. The average is eight hours a day, forty-eight hours a week."
They made a table.
| Italy | Germany | |
|---|---|---|
| How many | 804,464 domestic workers paid into the social security institute (INPS) in 2025, down 2.3% | No valid count. The federal government said in 2021 it had no data. Estimates run from 210,000 to 600,000 |
| Who | 68.9% foreign-born. Eastern Europe 33.5%, South America 9%, the Philippines 7.5%. 88.7% women | No reliable breakdown is published |
| Carers or cleaners | Carers 51.3%, cleaners 48.7% | Not published |
| Cost | 2026 live-in minimum of €1,193.84 a month (about US$1,340), plus board and lodging, for the level covering care of a person who is not self-sufficient (level CS) | €2,800 to €3,500 a month (about US$3,150 to 3,950), plus agency fees, depending on how the family arranges it |
The Italian count comes from the INPS report of 18 June 2026. The Italian rate comes from the domestic work agreement signed 11 February 2026, as reported in the press. It covers one level of worker only. Other levels pay other amounts. The German cost range comes from the consumer advice center of North Rhine-Westphalia (13 August 2026). It describes two routes. A family can employ the person directly, at least €2,800 a month plus extras. Or a company based in another country can send the person, €2,800 to €3,500 plus agency fees. The same advice centre says the route in which the carer is self-employed is advised against.
The number of hours matters, and so does a court ruling. In June 2021 the Federal Labour Court (case 5 AZR 505/20) held that a foreign live-in carer was entitled to the minimum wage for working time and for standby time. The ruling treats standby time as time that earns the minimum wage. The summary here comes from a regional guide.
"So the 2,800 pays for eight hours a day," Thea said. "Someone else covers the rest."
"Or the family does," Basil said.
You could…
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Ask any agency or helper how many hours a day are work and how many are rest, and what happens at night.
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Ask who covers days off and holidays.
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Look at the consumer pages for the country in question, which describe the routes in plain words.
What arrangement did your family make for round-the-clock help, in any country? Share it here. Someone reading may be asking the same questions at a kitchen table.
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Sources: INPS Osservatorio sui lavoratori domestici (18 June 2026); Quotidiano.net and ECNews on the 2026 Italian domestic work minimums; German federal government reply, Drucksache 19/28920 (22 April 2021); Verbraucherzentrale NRW (13 August 2026); Pflegewegweiser NRW on the Federal Labour Court ruling of 24 June 2021. Euro conversion at about US$1.126 (6 October 2026).
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