Is ₱2,000 a day a fair caregiver salary in the Philippines? (2026)

The family group chat has been going for an hour. Lola needs someone with her during the day. Your cousin found a caregiver who asks ₱2,000 a day. Tito says that's mahal (expensive): "yung kasambahay namin, ₱12,000 lang a month" (our helper is only ₱12,000 a month). Your sister abroad saw an agency charging ₱2,800 and thinks ₱2,000 sounds too cheap. Everyone's asking: magkano ba talaga? How much is it really?

Part of the confusion: families are moving away from one live-in helper who does everything. Many now book a caregiver for specific shifts, or a companion who simply sumasama kay Lola (follows Lola around). Those are priced differently, so comparing their rates side by side starts arguments.

This guide covers the day rate. For the full picture, see our pillar guide: How much does a caregiver cost in Metro Manila? (2026).

Figures below come from official and public sources checked on 7 October 2026. Rates vary by caregiver, schedule and location, and they change. This is a planning guide, not a quote, and it isn't legal advice.

Why "per day" causes so many arguments

"₱2,000 a day" depends on three things:

1. How long is the "day"? An 8-hour day, a 12-hour shift, or 24 hours with the caregiver sleeping over?
2. Who keeps the money? A rate paid straight to the caregiver is not the same as an agency's billed rate, which also pays for transport, supervision and admin.
3. What's the job? Companionship and reminders, or bathing, transfers, diaper changes and night-time turning?

Day rate is not the same as a live-in monthly salary

A live-in kasambahay or yaya is paid monthly, gets board and lodging, and spreads the work across the whole month, with legally required rest time. Pinoyaya's 2026 Metro Manila guide puts live-in yaya pay at roughly ₱10,000–₱25,000/month, depending on experience and specialisation. The legal minimum for kasambahays in NCR is ₱7,800/month (Wage Order NCR-DW-06, effective 7 February 2026).

A day-rate caregiver usually lives out, commutes, works a fixed shift, and is booked only on the days you need. You pay for those shifts and nothing more.

Do the math and you can see why the two can't be compared directly:

Table 1. Why monthly and day rates don't compare directly (illustrative math)

Nobody should pay ₱2,000 × 30 days for a live-in helper, and nobody should expect a skilled caregiver to work a 12-hour shift for a live-in helper's daily equivalent. If you need someone every day, full-time, live-in is usually much cheaper but comes with employer duties. Our guide to Batas Kasambahay vs on-demand hourly care walks through that trade-off.

Convert everything to the same unit

Bring every quote back to per hour over the same shift length, then compare.

Day rate ÷ hours = hourly rate. Hourly rate × hours = day rate.

Table 2. Common day rates converted to hourly

So "₱2,000 for 8 hours" and "₱2,000 for 12 hours" are very different offers. The first is 50% more per hour than the second.

Then ask: Ilang oras? (How many hours?) Kasama na ba ang pamasahe at pagkain? (Are fare and meals included?) May dagdag ba kapag gabi? (Extra for nights?)

What the legal floors say (and don't say)

Legal floors are minimums, not "fair" rates, but they're a useful sanity check.

• Daily minimum wage, NCR (non-agriculture): ₱755/day for 8 hours, under Wage Order NCR-28, effective 26 September 2026. That's about ₱94/hr.
• Under the Caregivers' Welfare Act (RA 11965), TESDA-certified caregivers who are employed must get at least the regional minimum wage, plus overtime past 8 hours and night-shift differential.

Rough illustration only: someone employed at the NCR minimum for a 12-hour day shift, with 4 hours of overtime at the Labor Code's standard +25% regular-day premium, would cost about ₱1,227. Night differential, SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and 13th-month pay add more. If you directly employ someone, confirm your obligations with DOLE.

What this tells you: ₱2,000 for a 12-hour shift is comfortably above the legal floor. It's not exploitative on its face. Whether it's fair depends on the work.

Agency 12-hour shifts vs a companion who follows Lola around

Agency shifts

Few Metro Manila home-care agencies publish prices. Home Health Care Philippines does. Its rates, effective 1 October 2026, per 12-hour shift:

Table 3. Published agency rates per 12-hour shift (Home Health Care Philippines, effective 1 Oct 2026)

The agency says the price covers the caregiver's fee, a transport allowance, case-manager supervision and a management fee, so the caregiver takes home less than ₱2,002. In exchange, the agency assigns the caregiver and tries to send a reliever if someone is absent. It's one agency's list (it also offers lower senior/PWD rates), not a market average.

Companion-style or on-demand care

A companion who keeps Lola company, walks with her, prepares a simple lunch and reminds her about medicines is doing real work, though usually lighter than bedside care for a bedridden patient. This help is often priced per hour, so you book only what you need: a 4-hour clinic visit, a weekday afternoon, the regular helper's day off. With no agency in the middle, more of what you pay goes to the caregiver.

Where ₱2,000, ₱2,500 and ₱3,000 make sense

These are planning rules of thumb, not a price list. Every caregiver and every case is different.

• Around ₱2,000 per 12-hour shift (about ₱167/hr) fits daytime help for a mostly mobile adult: companionship, meals, hygiene help, reminders, light tidying related to the patient. It's in line with a published agency day rate, and if it's paid directly to the caregiver, they keep all of it.
• ₱2,500–₱3,000 per 12-hour shift (about ₱208–₱250/hr) is often reasonable for nights, heavier physical care (transfers, turning, diaper care for a bedridden adult), dementia with wandering or sundowning, or a caregiver with long experience and TESDA Caregiving NC II.
• Well under the legal floors above is a red flag. It can mean hidden fees, unpaid overtime, or someone who won't stay.

Rates can also vary with location and commute. We don't publish city premiums because there's no reliable data for them; some market guides see business districts like Makati and BGC as pricier, but treat that as a loose tendency, not a rule. Ask about the commute, since it affects cost and punctuality.

Watch for scope creep: "Bantayan lang si Lola" (just watch Lola) can quietly become cooking and laundry for the whole household. More work means more pay. Write the tasks down before day one.

What day rates look like on Kalingap

On Kalingap, each caregiver sets their own rate, never below that service's platform floor. The rate is on the profile before you book, and you pay the caregiver directly; Kalingap takes 0% commission.

Table 4. Kalingap platform floors, expressed as day rates (live service pages, 7 Oct 2026)

These are floors, not averages; many caregivers charge more. A caregiver who sets ₱170/hr for elderly care, for example, costs ₱2,040 for 12 hours, right around the group chat's "₱2,000 a day." (Caregivers can read how we suggest pricing in How to set your hourly rate on Kalingap.)

If the need is a hospital stay, see what families can expect from a hospital watcher. If Lola is coming home, our elderly care at home checklist helps you plan the hours and tasks before you set a budget.

What the profile badges tell you

A fair rate also depends on who's showing up. Before anyone can apply on Kalingap, our team reviews a government ID (front and back) and a TESDA NC II Caregiving certificate. Profiles then show named badges for checks completed for that caregiver, such as NBI checked, ID matched, Interviewed and NC II. Not every badge appears on every profile, and approval can complete without a scheduled interview when policy allows. If an interview matters to you, look for the badge or do your own video call before booking.

Kalingap caregivers provide non-clinical home support. For medication changes, wound care or any medical decision, involve your doctor or a licensed nurse.

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Kalingap is a marketplace that connects families with independent caregivers. It is not an employment agency or a medical provider. Caregivers set their own rates. Market figures above are third-party observations that may change, and the agency rates shown are one provider's published list, not a market average. Last reviewed 7 October 2026. Check current wage orders with DOLE/NWPC before making employment decisions.

Sources (accessed 7 October 2026)

1. NWPC, NCR current daily minimum wage rates & domestic worker minimum wage (Wage Orders NCR-28, NCR-DW-06): https://nwpc.dole.gov.ph/ncr/
2. RTWPB-NCR, Wage Order No. NCR-DW-06 (PDF): https://nwpc.dole.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Wage-Order-No.-NCR-DW-06.pdf
3. Philippine News Agency, P60 NCR wage hike in full effect Sept. 26: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1284905
4. Republic Act No. 11965, Caregivers' Welfare Act (Lawphil): https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2023/ra_11965_2023.html
5. Republic Act No. 10361, Batas Kasambahay / Domestic Workers Act (Lawphil): https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2013/ra_10361_2013.html
6. Pinoyaya, Find a Verified Yaya in Metro Manila: 2026 Guide (updated 25 Jul 2026): https://pinoyaya.com/yaya-manila
7. Home Health Care Philippines, Caregiver Services – 12-Hour Shifts (rates effective 1 Oct 2026): https://homehealthcare.com.ph/services/private-duty-caregivers
8. Kalingap service pages (platform rate floors, verification): https://www.kalingap.app/services/hospital_watcher · https://www.kalingap.app/services/elderly_care · https://www.kalingap.app/services/live_in
9. Kalingap, How it works: https://www.kalingap.app/how-it-works
10. TESDA (Caregiving NC II): https://www.tesda.gov.ph/