Calculate Your Babysitter’s Rate with the Sitly Calculator

Not quite sure how much to pay your babysitter — or how much to charge if you are one? Our Babysitter Rate Calculator is here to help. It considers a few key details to provide you with a realistic hourly rate:

• Where you live
  
• How many children are being looked after
  
• If the babysitter uses their own transport
  
• If they do light housework
  
• If they assist with homework or cook meals
  
• Whether it’s a last-minute or emergency booking
  

Just enter your city and a few other details, and you’ll receive a personalised rate based on average babysitting fees in your area.

Our calculator is backed by real data — over 38,000 babysitters across Malaysia who are registered on Sitly have listed their expected rates, so you’re getting insights grounded in what people are actually charging and paying. Of course, the calculator gives you a guideline, not a fixed rate. For example, if someone’s travelling to your home, caring for several children, helping with schoolwork, and preparing dinner, the rate will likely be higher. Still, it’s up to parents and babysitters to agree on a fair rate together, depending on their individual needs.

This tool is a great starting point to help you set expectations — whether you’re hiring a babysitter or offering your services. Want to learn more about typical babysitting rates and wage expectations in Malaysia? Check out our guide on how much to pay a babysitter.

City-to-City Differences

Do you live in Kuala Lumpur or Ipoh? That can make a difference when it comes to babysitting rates. In larger cities like KL, average base rates tend to be higher, while in smaller cities or towns, hourly rates are generally a bit lower. That’s why the first step in using the Babysitter Rate Calculator is to enter your city.

Once you do, the calculator will show you a base rate — this is the average hourly rate that babysitters in your area have listed on Sitly. Of course, this is just an average. Even within the same city, rates can vary quite a lot. For example, a teenager just starting out may charge less, while a professional nanny with experience, first aid training, or early childhood education may ask for more. Babysitters who are fluent in English or other languages may also charge a higher rate, depending on family needs.

On Sitly, many babysitters mention that their rates are negotiable, because what they earn often depends on specific duties, schedules, and the family’s expectations. Most families and sitters agree on the rate together after discussing the details.

How Much to Pay Based on the Number of Children

Caring for one child is very different from looking after two or three — and that’s why our calculator lets you select how many kids the babysitter will be minding. More children usually means more responsibilities, especially if they’re of different ages. A toddler and a school-aged child, for example, have very different routines and needs! Parents know it, and so do babysitters: two kids is more than double the work.

The Sitly Rate Calculator adjusts for that. You’ll see the average hourly rate increase as the number of children goes up — giving you a more realistic idea of what’s fair to pay (or charge). Try entering your city along with the number of children and any extra tasks, and get an estimate that fits your situation.

What If the Babysitter Does Light Housework?

Tidying up the kids’ room (ideally with their help!), putting toys away, throwing a load of laundry in the wash, or hanging up the baby’s clothes are small, everyday tasks that naturally come with caring for children. These are usually considered part of normal babysitting responsibilities, since they relate directly to the child’s care.

But vacuuming the whole house, washing windows, or doing a full cleaning session? That’s a different story. Babysitters aren’t cleaners, and house cleaning isn’t typically part of the job unless it’s been agreed upon beforehand. That said, it’s absolutely possible for parents and babysitters to agree on a few light housekeeping tasks, like dusting, doing the dishes, or even a quick vacuum — as long as those things are done when the babysitter isn’t actively supervising the children. In that case, they count as additional duties, and the hourly rate should reflect that.

To make things easier, the Sitly Babysitter Rate Calculator lets you select light housework as an option, so you can see how this affects the hourly rate.

Help with Homework or Meal Preparation

A babysitter can do much more than just watch over the children. Some help with homework or prepare dinner — tasks that require time, focus, and a bit of extra care. These responsibilities go beyond standard babysitting, so it’s reasonable for the hourly rate to increase when they’re part of the job.

That’s exactly why we’ve added these kinds of tasks to the calculator. Just choose what applies, and the estimated rate will adjust to reflect the extra effort involved.

When the Babysitter Uses Their Own Car

If a babysitter drives the children to school, activities, or appointments using their own vehicle, it can be a huge convenience for families. But it also adds costs and responsibility for the sitter — petrol, travel time, parking fees, and traffic, especially in cities like Kuala Lumpur or Johor Bahru.

That’s why many babysitters charge a slightly higher hourly rate when driving is involved. To account for that, the Sitly calculator includes an option for “Driving children” so you can quickly see how this impacts the rate estimate.

Last-Minute Babysitting

Your child wakes up with a mild fever, and you absolutely have to get to work. Or maybe the grandparents suddenly can’t make it to school pick-up. What now? It’s time to call a babysitter.

Last-minute requests often mean less notice and more pressure, which is why they typically come with higher expectations — and deserve a slightly higher hourly rate. Our calculator factors that in: just select the “Last-minute fee” option to get a realistic estimate for emergency bookings.

There are plenty of other details that can affect how much a babysitter earns — like how many hours they work each day, whether they babysit during evenings, or if they have special experience or training. The Sitly Babysitter Rate Calculator is a great place to start. It helps you estimate the hourly rate based on your specific needs and location. From there, you can have an open, honest conversation and agree on a fair rate that works well for both the family and the babysitter.