Cooks, Fast Food pay range in Houston
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $21,530 a year or less, while the top 10% make $38,210 or more. The middle half of cooks, fast food in Houston earn between $22,690 and $29,010.
- $22K10th
- $23K25th
- $23KMedian
- $29K75th
- $38K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $26,360 | $2,197 | $12.67 |
| Median | $23,090 | $1,924 | $11.10 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $22,690 | $1,891 | $10.91 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $29,010 | $2,418 | $13.95 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Cooks, Fast Food salary after taxes in Houston
On the average salary of $26,360, a single filer in Houston takes home about $23,317 a year, or $1,943 a month and $897 every two weeks. Taxes take 12% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
Is Houston a good place for cooks, fast food? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Houston area are in line with the U.S. average (BEA price parity 98.6), so the average $26,360 buys what about $26,726 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.5 times the median wage of all jobs in Houston ($49,410). A typical home costs $308,306, or 11.7 years of this average salary before tax.
Cooks, Fast Food salary in other Texas cities
Houston ranks 16th of 20 Texas metro areas for this job; Austin pays the most ($38,950).
- Austin$38,950
- Midland$31,950
- Dallas$31,830
- San Antonio$30,480
- Corpus Christi$30,310
- Waco$30,150
- Killeen$29,320
- Odessa$28,820
- Sherman$28,590
- Houston$26,360
Highest-paying cities for cooks, fast food
San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($46,590).
- San Francisco, CA$46,590
- San Jose, CA$46,530
- Vallejo, CA$44,360
- Napa, CA$43,910
- Seattle, WA$43,770
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Cooks, Fast Food salary in Houston: questions
How much do cooks, fast food make an hour in Houston?
$12.67 an hour on average, and $11.10 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level cooks, fast food salary in Houston?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $21,530 a year and the 25th percentile is $22,690, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the cooks, fast food take-home pay in Houston?
About $23,317 a year ($1,943 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $26,360. Texas has no state income tax.
Do cooks, fast food earn more in Houston than elsewhere?
The average here is 21% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($33,261).
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 35-2011; area Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (26420). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 7.3%.
- 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 no state income tax.
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.59, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.59).
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