What is the minimum salary for a housemaid in Saudi Arabia from Sri Lanka?

Under the SLBFE domestic-worker schedule the minimum monthly wage for a Sri Lankan housemaid in Saudi Arabia is SAR 1,500. At an example rate of Rs 80 per riyal that is about Rs 120,000 per month. Confirm the current figure with SLBFE, as it is set through bilateral agreements and can change.

How much is a Kuwait or Qatar salary in Sri Lankan rupees?

The SLBFE housemaid minimum is KWD 120 for Kuwait and QAR 1,500 for Qatar. Using example rates of Rs 980 per dinar and Rs 82 per riyal, that is roughly Rs 117,600 and Rs 123,000 per month respectively. Enter today's exchange rate in the tool for a current rupee value.

What is the SLBFE minimum wage for migrant workers?

The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment sets a statutory minimum monthly wage for domestic workers (housemaids) in each destination country through bilateral labour agreements. The tool lists the current published floor per country and converts it to rupees at a rate you control.

Which Gulf country pays Sri Lankan domestic workers the most?

It depends on the exchange rate, but by rupee value the Gulf destinations are close together. The comparison table ranks every supported country for the selected job on a like-for-like basis using CBSL-seeded default rates, with the highest-paying floor at the top.

Does SLBFE set a minimum wage for male workers and drivers?

In most cases no. SLBFE's published statutory floors apply mainly to female domestic workers. General-labour and driver placements are usually contract-based, so the tool marks them "contract-based" and does not invent a number — check the wage written in your own contract.

My agency is offering less than the figure shown. Is that legal?

An offer below the SLBFE minimum for a domestic-worker placement should be a red flag. The floor exists to protect workers. Do not sign, and raise it with SLBFE (011-2864102) or the nearest SLBFE office before paying any fee. Only deal with SLBFE-licensed agencies.

Does the tool use a live exchange rate?

No. It seeds a default rate per currency from CBSL indicative rates and lets you edit it, so there is no dependency on a paid live-rate API. For an exact rupee figure on the day, enter the buying rate your bank or money-transfer service quotes.

When was this SLBFE schedule last verified?

The minimum-wage figures were transcribed from the SLBFE domestic-worker schedule on 2026-07-11. SLBFE revises these through bilateral agreements, so always reconfirm the current floor with SLBFE or your licensed agency before signing a contract.

Sri Lanka · Finance

Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Minimum Wage Calculator (SLBFE)

Check the SLBFE-mandated minimum monthly wage for a housemaid or migrant job abroad, convert it to Sri Lankan rupees at a rate you set, and see which country pays the most for the same work. No signup, no ads, sources cited below.

By Induwara Ashinsana— Executive Director, Ryzera TechnologiesUpdated Jul 11, 2026

SLBFE minimum wage

SLBFE schedule · 2026-07-11

Destination country

Job category

Exchange rate (Rs per 1 SAR)

Seeded from CBSL indicative rates. Adjust to today's rate.

Contract duration (months)

Monthly remittance (optional)

Share of the monthly wage you plan to send home (0–100%).

SLBFE minimum monthly wage

SAR 1,500

≈ Rs 120,000 / month

Annual (12 mo)

SAR 18,000

Rs 1,440,000

Full contract (24 mo)

SAR 36,000

Rs 2,880,000

Monthly wage

SAR 1,500

Rs 120,000

Full-contract total verified two ways (monthly × months = annual × years) — figures reconcile exactly.

Which country pays most — Domestic worker / Housemaid

#	Country	Minimum / month	≈ LKR / month
1	Qatar	QAR 1,500	Rs 123,000
2	United Arab Emirates	AED 1,500	Rs 123,000
3	Saudi Arabia(selected)	SAR 1,500	Rs 120,000
4	Kuwait	KWD 120	Rs 117,600
5	Jordan	USD 350	Rs 106,750
6	Lebanon	USD 350	Rs 106,750
7	Oman	OMR 130	Rs 101,400
8	Bahrain	BHD 120	Rs 95,400
—	Cyprus	contract-based	—
—	Israel	contract-based	—

LKR values use each currency's CBSL-seeded default rate (as of 2026-07-11), not the rate you typed above, so countries are compared on a like-for-like basis. Rows without a published floor show “contract-based”.

Sources cited: Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (minimum wages) and Central Bank of Sri Lanka (indicative rates). Verified 2026-07-11. Always confirm the current floor with SLBFE or your licensed agency before signing.

How it works

The calculator is a transparent lookup plus arithmetic — no opinion and no live network call. It reads the statutory minimum monthly wage that the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) publishes for domestic workers in each destination country, then does four things with it.

Minimum wage lookup. It finds wageLocal = SLBFE_MINIMUM[country][category] from the embedded SLBFE schedule. Where SLBFE publishes no statutory floor — such as most general-labour and driver placements — it shows “contract-based” and suppresses the projections rather than inventing a number.
Rupee conversion. wageLKR = wageLocal × rate, where rate is rupees per one unit of the destination currency. The rate is user-editable and seeded from Central Bank of Sri Lanka indicative rates, so there is no paid live-rate dependency.
Projections. Annual is wageLocal × 12 and the full contract is wageLocal × months, each shown in local currency and rupees. As an internal check the contract total is also derived from the annual figure — (wageLocal × 12) × (months ÷ 12) — which must equal the monthly-based total to the unit.
Remittance (optional). In percent mode remitMonthly = wageLocal × (pct ÷ 100); in fixed mode it is the amount you enter, validated so it can't exceed the monthly wage. Total remitted is the monthly amount times the contract length, and “kept abroad” is the contract total minus what you send home.

The comparison table ranks every supported country for the chosen job by its rupee-converted minimum, using each currency's CBSL-seeded default rate so the countries are compared like-for-like rather than at the single rate you typed. Amounts display to the nearest whole currency unit while full precision is kept internally. Because SLBFE revises these floors through bilateral agreements, the schedule carries a last verified date of 2026-07-11; always reconfirm before signing.

Worked examples

Housemaid · Saudi Arabia · 24-month contract · remit 60%

SLBFE minimum: SAR 1,500 / month
Rate: Rs 80 per SAR → wageLKR = 1,500 × 80 = Rs 120,000 / month
Annual: 1,500 × 12 = SAR 18,000 = Rs 1,440,000
Full contract: 1,500 × 24 = SAR 36,000 = Rs 2,880,000
Remit 60%: 1,500 × 0.60 = SAR 900 = Rs 72,000 / month
Total remitted: 900 × 24 = SAR 21,600 = Rs 1,728,000
Kept abroad: 36,000 − 21,600 = SAR 14,400 = Rs 1,152,000

Housemaid · Kuwait · 24-month contract · no remittance

SLBFE minimum: KWD 120 / month
Rate: Rs 980 per KWD → wageLKR = 120 × 980 = Rs 117,600 / month
Annual: 120 × 12 = KWD 1,440 = Rs 1,411,200
Full contract: 120 × 24 = KWD 2,880 = Rs 2,822,400
Compare: Saudi Rs 120,000/mo > Kuwait Rs 117,600/mo → Saudi ranks higher

Driver · Saudi Arabia · any duration (edge case)

SLBFE publishes no statutory floor for driver placements
Tool returns status: contract-based
No monthly wage or projections are shown — no number is invented
Action: read the wage written in your signed contract, verify with SLBFE

Frequently asked questions

Sources & references

The SLBFE minimum-wage figures on this page were transcribed on 2026-07-11. SLBFE sets these floors through bilateral labour agreements and can revise them, so this tool states the statutory minimum, not what any individual employer offers. Always confirm the current floor with SLBFE or your licensed recruitment agency before signing a foreign-employment contract.

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Calculate the total Rs you pay the SLBFE before going abroad — registration, insurance, welfare fund, and housemaid training, itemised by destination and contract length.

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Comments & feedback

Spotted a bug or want an improvement? Tell us — our team reviews every comment, and good ideas get built. Comments are public and anonymous.

Spotted an out-of-date SLBFE figure or want another country added?

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