Chefs and Head Cooks pay range in Honolulu
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $48,970 a year or less, while the top 10% make $109,220 or more. The middle half of chefs and head cooks in Honolulu earn between $48,970 and $94,730.
- $49K10th
- $49K25th
- $74KMedian
- $95K75th
- $109K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $75,730 | $6,311 | $36.41 |
| Median | $74,380 | $6,198 | $35.76 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $48,970 | $4,081 | $23.54 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $94,730 | $7,894 | $45.54 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Chefs and Head Cooks salary after taxes in Honolulu
On the average salary of $75,730, a single filer in Honolulu takes home about $58,154 a year, or $4,846 a month and $2,237 every two weeks. Taxes take 23% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Hawaii's top brackets above $125,000 follow Act 46 (2024).
Is Honolulu a good place for chefs and head cooks? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Honolulu area are 11% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 111.0), so the average $75,730 buys what about $68,249 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.3 times the median wage of all jobs in Honolulu ($57,220). A typical home costs $851,163, or 11.2 years of this average salary before tax.
Chefs and Head Cooks salary in other Hawaii cities
Honolulu ranks 2nd of 2 Hawaii metro areas for this job; Kahului pays the most ($91,380).
- Kahului$91,380
- Honolulu$75,730
Highest-paying cities for chefs and head cooks
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($91,380).
- Kahului, HI$91,380
- Napa, CA$83,750
- San Jose, CA$80,150
- Albany, NY$79,500
- Providence, RI$79,440
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Chefs and Head Cooks salary in Honolulu: questions
How much do chefs and head cooks make an hour in Honolulu?
$36.41 an hour on average, and $35.76 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level chefs and head cooks salary in Honolulu?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $48,970 a year and the 25th percentile is $48,970, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the chefs and head cooks take-home pay in Honolulu?
About $58,154 a year ($4,846 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $75,730. Hawaii's top brackets above $125,000 follow Act 46 (2024).
Do chefs and head cooks earn more in Honolulu than elsewhere?
The average here is 13% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($67,002).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 35-1011; area Urban Honolulu, HI (46520). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 7.4%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Hawaii's top brackets above $125,000 follow Act 46 (2024).
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.29, this job is 1.3 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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