A nanny could be a huge relief for your family. It would save you the time and effort of having to do household duties, and give you peace of mind that your children are well taken care of when you’re not with them. But, how much does this cost?
Caregivers, even caregivers that live in the home, are not on-demand childcare superheroes. They’re employees of your family. And just as other employees have defined working schedules, compensation schemes for overtime, and the right to private spaces and personal time to unwind, so do caregivers. The pay your caregivers receive should reflect the time they work, their experience, and their skill level. This can vary employee to employee, but let’s take a loot at an example from a caregiver in Ontario:
Salary: $15/hour
Working Hours: 44/week
Payment Schedule: Paid every two weeks
Gross pay: $15/hour * 44 hours/week * 2 weeks = $1,320
Taxes Deducted (Federal, provincial, employee contributions to CPP and EI) = $254
Room and Board deducted: $170.50
Net Pay (what the nanny takes home in a 2 week period): $895.50
Source Deductions(taxes deducted, as above): $347.50
Total Cost to Employer: $1,243 ($1,320 – employee deductions + source deductions)
Of course this will vary by province and employee, and if the employee chooses to live with your family, but it would be reasonable to expect the overall yearly cost to you of hiring a nanny to be approximately $32,318 ($1,243 per two week period * 26 two week periods per year).
While $15/hour is a solid estimate, the table below provides an average hourly rate breakdown by major Canadian city:
| City, Province | Average Hourly Rate |
| Toronto, Ontario | $15.17 |
| Montreal, Quebec | $13.39 |
| Calgary, Alberta | $14.41 |
| Ottawa, Ontario | $13.99 |
| Edmonton, Alberta | $14.39 |
| Mississauga, Ontario | $14.80 |
| Winnipeg, Manitoba | $13.67 |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | $15.68 |
| Brampton, Ontario | $15.04 |
| Hamilton, Ontario | $14.88 |
It’s also worth noting that nannies request the highest average hourly wage, regardless of geography, to take care of preteens/teens, and request the lowest average hourly wage to take care of primary school children.
Daycare vs. Caregiver
This is usually the first choice that parents have to make when it comes to childcare. Much like the cost of a caregiver, daycare costs vary dramatically from province to province, town to town. Some elite private daycares are very expensive and nearly impossible to get into, others are more relaxed, both come with substantial price tags. Quebec is notably cheap when it comes to daycare. Subsidized daycare programs by the Quebec government kept daily childcare prices in Montreal down to $10/day, compared to $47 in Ottawa, $49 in Vancouver, and $54 in Toronto a day in the same year. Unsubsidized daycare options in Quebec and average-priced options in other provinces are likely going to be cheaper. But, more prestigious daycares are going to cost about the same as a nanny. It’s also worth noting that one nanny can handle several kids for the same fee, but daycares will charge full price for each child, making nannies a more reasonable financial choice for families with more than one child.
Finding the right caregiver for your home is challenging. To stay up-to-date on the various immigration options that may be available to you, and to ask any questions you may have, fill out the form to your right or call us at +1 514-316-3555 for a free consultation.
