SOC 35-2014 · Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro

Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Brownsville, TX

The average salary for cooks, restaurant in Brownsville, Texas is $28,230 a year ($13.57 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $28,670: half of the 1,510 people in this job in the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 28% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($39,073).

$28,230average per year

$13.57 / hourMedian $28,670Take-home ≈ $24,857

  • $21K10th
  • $23K25th
  • $29KMedian
  • $32K75th
  • $35K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

1,510people in this job
-28%vs U.S. metro average
#23 of 25Texas metros
86cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Cooks, Restaurant pay range in Brownsville

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $20,690 a year or less, while the top 10% make $34,740 or more. The middle half of cooks, restaurant in Brownsville earn between $23,340 and $32,310.

  • $21K10th
  • $23K25th
  • $29KMedian
  • $32K75th
  • $35K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$28,230$2,352$13.57
Median$28,670$2,389$13.78
Entry level (25th percentile)$23,340$1,945$11.22
Experienced (75th percentile)$32,310$2,692$15.53

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Cooks, Restaurant salary after taxes in Brownsville

On the average salary of $28,230, a single filer in Brownsville takes home about $24,857 a year, or $2,071 a month and $956 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.

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Is Brownsville a good place for cooks, restaurant? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Brownsville area are 14% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 86.0), so the average $28,230 buys what about $32,835 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Brownsville ($36,490). A typical home costs $207,150, or 7.3 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $28,230 is worth in another city

Cooks, Restaurant salary in other Texas cities

Brownsville ranks 23rd of 25 Texas metro areas for this job; Austin pays the most ($36,430).

All Cooks, Restaurant salaries in Texas

Highest-paying cities for cooks, restaurant

Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($54,460).

Cooks, Restaurant salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Cooks, Restaurant in Brownsville, TX.

Cooks, Restaurant salary in Brownsville: questions

How much do cooks, restaurant make an hour in Brownsville?

$13.57 an hour on average, and $13.79 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level cooks, restaurant salary in Brownsville?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $20,690 a year and the 25th percentile is $23,340, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the cooks, restaurant take-home pay in Brownsville?

About $24,857 a year ($2,071 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $28,230. Texas has no state income tax.

Do cooks, restaurant earn more in Brownsville than elsewhere?

The average here is 28% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($39,073).

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 35-2014; area Brownsville-Harlingen, TX (15180). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
  • 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 1.06, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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