₹9k/month for 1 hour cooking in Chennai, Is this the new normal?
Wanted to understand if this is normal in prime Chennai apartments now(near metro zones)
We currently pay our cook ₹9k/month(8k last 2 years). She comes once daily around 2 PM for about 45 mins to 1 hour, cooks simple food for 3 people (dal, curry, 4 chapatis), takes trash out, but does not wash vessels or clean kitchen.
My aged mom still has to keep ingredients ready and sometimes wash vegetables/spinach because the cook rushes through cleaning.
She also takes around 3 to 4 leave days monthly(1 is given by us for amma vasai) and we additionally give festival bonuses.
Also she talks back to mom, complains if you give her some work out of her scope, tells mom to pick things from the floor like washed vessels.
What surprised us is that earlier in outskirts Chennai we paid ₹6k and the maid used to do cooking, prep, vessels, mopping, bathrooms and kitchen cleaning too.
Is ₹9k now considered normal market rate in prime Chennai? Or are we overpaying relative to work done?
Posted May 28, 2026, 10:39 AM UTC