Childcare in Hong Kong for expats: helpers and nurseries
A live-in helper at the HK$5,100 minimum wage plus allowance costs less than a private nursery at HK$8,000 to HK$20,000 a month, which is why most expat families with two jobs go that way. Both take months to arrange, so the decision belongs in the second trimester. Checked 22 September 2026.
Decide on a helper, and start the paperwork
Most expat families in Hong Kong employ a live-in foreign domestic helper rather than use a nursery, because a helper costs less than full-day infant care. The minimum allowable wage is HK$5,100 a month for contracts signed from 30 September 2025, plus a food allowance of HK$1,236 if you do not provide meals — both are reviewed every September, so check the current figures before you sign anything — plus insurance, the return flight and either an agency fee or the time to hire directly. Checked against info.gov.hk on 22 September 2026.
Paperbump schedules this usually between week 20 and week 24 of the pregnancy. What this step involves · info.gov.hk
Put your name down at nurseries and playgroups
Centre-based care for babies under 2 is scarce. The government-registered child care centres for under-threes are few and mostly Cantonese-medium; the English-language private nurseries in the expat districts charge roughly HK$8,000 to HK$20,000 a month for full days and keep waiting lists, so families register in pregnancy. Checked against swd.gov.hk on 21 September 2026.
Paperbump schedules this usually between week 22 and week 26 of the pregnancy. What this step involves · swd.gov.hk
Confirm the helper's start, or the nursery place
Fourteen weeks of maternity leave usually starts two to four weeks before the due date, so in practice you are back at work around ten to twelve weeks after the birth — earlier than the headline number suggests. If a helper is coming, the visa and contract need to be approved and her arrival booked; if it is a nursery, confirm the start date and what the fee includes. Checked against info.gov.hk on 21 September 2026.
Paperbump schedules this between 6 weeks and 3 months after the birth. What this step involves · info.gov.hk
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