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Au pair and child sharing a warm moment by a piggy bank, illustrating au pair pocket money
Investigation & official sources The data long-read · 2026

Au pair pocket money: the 2026 map, country by country

How much does an au pair with board and lodging really receive in 2026? A study of 19 destinations, statutory or reference amounts, and what the arrangement truly costs the family.

By AuPair Connect — Data & Compliance Team 6 min read 2026-09-24
Study Framework & 2026 Approach

Understanding Real Costs and Au Pair Pocket Money Across Europe

Welcome to the independent AuPair Connect observatory. Whether you are a host family preparing for an arrival, an au pair planning your cultural stay, a journalist, or an institutional observer, this 2026 comparative study delivers an objective, verified benchmark across 19 host countries. Amid inflation and varying European legal frameworks, our mission is to clarify the persistent confusion between net pocket money received and the true monthly economic investment borne by host families.

Official sources

19 countries & primary sources

100% of figures originate strictly from statutory sources, official decrees, and immigration authorities (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Swiss SEM, Service-Public.fr, Danish SIRI, etc.).

Legal rigor

Statutory obligation vs. market guidance

Strict legal distinction between destinations with statutory mandatory minimums (France, Germany, Switzerland...) and countries governed by published market recommendations.

Full transparency

The Financial Iceberg model

Pocket money accounts for only 20% to 25% of total costs. Private room, full board, mandatory social contributions (Urssaf in France), and insurance complete the host budget.

Collaborative Observatory & Regulatory Monitoring

Our benchmarks are continuously updated as European legal frameworks evolve. Have you spotted a recent decree, legislative change, or discrepancy in our national data sheets? Please write directly to our Data & Compliance team:

Response within 48h · Verified and validated by our compliance lead (TSO).

hello@aupairconnect.app
Understanding the economic model

The financial iceberg: why pocket money is not a salary

L’argent de poche est la seule ligne visible. Les avantages en nature et les cotisations en représentent 68.5%.

Coût réel mensuel pour la famille
1,240 £par mois
soit 3.2 × l’argent de poche versé
Iceberg proportionnel du coût mensuel d’accueil d’un au pairÉMERGÉIMMERGÉ
PosteMontantPart
Weekly allowance
Pocket money allowance (~£90/week)
390 £
31.5%
Private room
Furnished bedroom with utilities included
550 £
44.4%
Full board meals
All daily meals and kitchen access provided
300 £
24.2%
Coût mensuel total1,240 £100 %

Ce que l’on voit — l’argent de poche — représente 31.5% du coût réel. Les 68.5% restants sont des avantages en nature et des cotisations.

Hauteur de chaque strate proportionnelle au montant. Lecture : sur 1,240 £ par mois, 390 £ seulement passent par l’argent de poche, soit 31.5% du total. Source : AuPair Connect, relevés 2026 (19 destinations).

Interactive mapping

The European overview: who pays what?

Click a country to reveal its official amount and primary source.

Statutory amountAccepted practiceMaximum ceilingUnregulatedSelected country
DK704 €GBnon encadréBE450–750 €DE280 €FR320–392 €CH960 € maxES320 €PT250–400 €IT280–600 €

France

Law

326,25 – 391,50 EUR

€326.25–391.50/month board & lodging included (EU/EEA, foreign family-aid trainee) · €320/month minimum (non-EU/EEA, young au pair).

🏛️ Source : Service-Public.fr (DILA) ↗
📅 Verification : 2026-09-13

Cartogram: tile sizes do not reflect geographical area · 9 destinations shown out of 19 surveyed · 2026 survey

Global comparison scale

All 19 destinations ranked by amount

Filter by legal status and switch between euros and local currency.

  • Belgium
    600 € / mois↗
  • Denmark
    704 € / mois↗
  • France
    359 € / mois↗
  • Germany
    280 € / mois↗
  • Argentina
    88 € / mois↗
  • Colombia
    228 € / mois↗
  • Spain
    320 € / mois↗
  • United States
    ↗
  • Italy
    440 € / mois↗
  • Luxembourg
    350 € / mois↗
  • Netherlands
  • Portugal
    325 € / mois↗
  • United Kingdom
    ↗
  • Switzerland
    780 € / mois↗
  • Australia
    ↗
  • Brazil
    ↗
  • Canada
    ↗
  • Morocco
    ↗
  • Mexico
    ↗

Local-currency amounts are converted to euros for guidance only; the local currency remains the legal reference.

Real purchasing-power index

Coffee, transit, culture: what pocket money really buys

At a comparable headline amount, the cost of living changes everything. Three emblematic cities.

Zurich

Pocket money

960 € max

  • ☕ Café terraces5,80 CHF
  • coffees equivalent155 coffees
  • 🚇 Monthly transit pass90 CHF
  • 🎭 Cultural outings3

Paris

Pocket money

320–392 €

  • ☕ Café terraces2,50 €
  • 🚇 Monthly transit pass86 €

Madrid

Pocket money

320 €

  • ☕ Café terraces1,50 €
  • coffees equivalent180 coffees
  • 🚇 Monthly transit pass20 €

Indicative 2026 prices (coffee, transit pass) cross-checked against local public sources.

Digital PR & newsrooms

Embed this data visualisation on your site

Reuse the full infographic in an article, free of charge, with mandatory attribution.

Mandatory attribution: “AuPair Connect — Au pair pocket money by country 2026 study”, with a link to aupairconnect.app.

Press contact & newsroom inquiries: press@aupairconnect.app

HTML
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11 of 19 countries publish an official or reference amount. The others are set by contract or ordinary law. Download the data (CSV)

Direct answer

In 2026, au pair pocket money with board and lodging varies widely from one country to the next: from about €250/month (Luxembourg, Portugal) to DKK 5,250/month in Denmark or CHF 600–900 in Switzerland. Our study lists the official or reference amounts for the 19 main destinations, each dated and sourced to the competent authority.

Verified by the AuPair Connect Compliance Team · 11/19 countries with a published amount. · 11/19 · 13/09/2026

Download the data (CSV, 19 countries)

How much does an au pair earn per month in 2026?

Pocket money is not a salary: the au pair arrangement is a cultural hosting agreement, not an employment contract. The sum is set by each host country’s rules and always comes on top of accommodation, meals and often insurance. The amounts below are dated and sourced to each destination’s authorities.

Full table: amounts by host country (2026)
Country Period Pocket money (board & lodging included) Status Source
Belgium Monthly 450–750 EUR Statutory amount Gouvernement flamand (vlaanderen.be)
Denmark Monthly 5,250 DKK Statutory amount SIRI (Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration)
France Monthly 326.25–391.50 EUR Statutory amount Service-Public.fr (DILA)
Germany Monthly 280 EUR Reference / accepted practice Bundesagentur für Arbeit
Argentina Monthly 60,000–120,000 ARS Reference / accepted practice Ministerio de Trabajo
Colombia Monthly 700,000–1,200,000 COP Reference / accepted practice Ministerio de Trabajo
Spain Monthly 320 EUR Reference / accepted practice Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones
United States Weekly Not regulated / by contract Reference / accepted practice US Department of State (Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs)
Italy Monthly 280–600 EUR Reference / accepted practice Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale
Luxembourg Monthly 250–450 EUR Reference / accepted practice Guichet.lu (Administration publique luxembourgeoise)
Netherlands Monthly Not regulated / by contract Reference / accepted practice —
Portugal Monthly 250–400 EUR Reference / accepted practice Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA)
United Kingdom Weekly Not regulated / by contract Reference / accepted practice GOV.UK (HM Government)
Switzerland Monthly 600–900 CHF Reference / accepted practice Secrétariat d'État aux migrations (SEM)
Australia Weekly Not regulated / by contract Not regulated Fair Work Ombudsman (Australian Government)
Brazil Monthly Not regulated / by contract Not regulated Presidência da República — Planalto
Canada Monthly Not regulated / by contract Not regulated Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada (IRCC)
Morocco Monthly Not regulated / by contract Not regulated Service-Public.fr (DILA)
Mexico Monthly Not regulated / by contract Not regulated Instituto Nacional de Migración (gob.mx)

11/19 countries publish an amount (statutory or reference). The other 8 (United States, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Morocco, Mexico) do not regulate au pair status: the amount is negotiated in the contract, and labour law may apply where an employment relationship is recognised.
Always check the up-to-date amount with your destination’s authorities before signing the agreement.

Study methodology

  1. Primary sources only. Each amount comes from the competent authority of the host country (labour ministry, migration agency, public service, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, SEM, SIRI, Service-Public.fr…), never from a commercial agency website.
  2. Three qualification levels. “Statutory amount” (binding obligation), “Reference / accepted practice” (published or customary amount, non-binding) and “Not regulated” (no au pair doctrine; general labour law may apply).
  3. Accommodation and meals are not counted. All amounts are expressed as “board & lodging included” pocket money; the value of the room and meals is added in kind.
  4. Verification date per country. Each amount’s last verification date appears in the dataset; the study is regenerated from the legal repository on every update.
  5. Reproducibility. The dataset is generated automatically from country_legal/*.json by build-pocket-money-dataset.mjs: no manual entry.

Cite this study (press & partners)

This dataset is free to cite with attribution. For any article, cite:

« AuPair Connect study — “Au pair pocket money by country 2026” », https://aupairconnect.app/en/pocket-money-au-pair

Raw data: https://aupairconnect.app/datasets/pocket-money-au-pair-2026.csv (CSV, 19 countries). Press contact: press@aupairconnect.app.

Why do amounts vary from one country to another?

Each country sets its own framework: some impose an official amount (France, Belgium, Denmark), others publish a recommendation or reference practice, and others leave the sum to be negotiated in the contract. Cost of living, social protection and cultural convention explain these gaps.

Total cost of hosting an au pair for the family

Hosting an au pair is not limited to pocket money: the family provides a private room, meals and, in France, pays social contributions. For an accurate estimate, see our au pair salary & contributions guide (France) and our hosting cost estimator .

Frequently asked questions

How much does an au pair earn per month in 2026?

Board-and-lodging pocket money ranges from about €250/month (Luxembourg, Portugal) to DKK 5,250/month in Denmark or CHF 600–900 in Switzerland. In France it is €320 to €391.50/month (EU/EEA), €320/month minimum outside the EU/EEA.

Which country pays an au pair the most in 2026?

In value, Switzerland (CHF 600–900/month) and Denmark (DKK 5,250/month, statutory minimum) are among the best paid. In Belgium the amount is regionalized (≥ €450 Flanders, ≥ €750 Wallonia).

Is pocket money a salary?

No. Pocket money comes on top of accommodation and meals and is not pay: the au pair arrangement is a cultural hosting agreement, not an ordinary employment contract.

How do I cite this study?

Data free to cite with attribution “AuPair Connect study — Au pair pocket money by country 2026”.

These answers reuse the figures verified by the AuPair Connect Compliance Team for each destination.

Useful links

Everyday life guides Host family handbook, rematch & handling conflicts, French FLE classes: AuPair Connect’s practical guides. Explore the guide ↗