Cooks, Restaurant pay range in Houston
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $24,600 a year or less, while the top 10% make $38,370 or more. The middle half of cooks, restaurant in Houston earn between $28,290 and $37,090.
- $25K10th
- $28K25th
- $35KMedian
- $37K75th
- $38K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $32,970 | $2,748 | $15.85 |
| Median | $35,050 | $2,921 | $16.85 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $28,290 | $2,358 | $13.60 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $37,090 | $3,091 | $17.83 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Cooks, Restaurant salary after taxes in Houston
On the average salary of $32,970, a single filer in Houston takes home about $28,671 a year, or $2,389 a month and $1,103 every two weeks. Taxes take 13% 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, restaurant? 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 $32,970 buys what about $33,428 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Houston ($49,410). A typical home costs $308,306, or 9.4 years of this average salary before tax.
Cooks, Restaurant salary in other Texas cities
Houston ranks 6th of 25 Texas metro areas for this job; Austin pays the most ($36,430).
- Austin$36,430
- Dallas$35,860
- Midland$34,460
- Odessa$33,210
- San Antonio$32,980
- Houston$32,970
- Sherman$32,220
- College Station$31,660
- Waco$31,420
- Beaumont$31,210
Highest-paying cities for cooks, restaurant
Kahului, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($54,460).
- Kahului, HI$54,460
- San Jose, CA$49,390
- Seattle, WA$49,000
- San Francisco, CA$48,630
- Napa, CA$47,830
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Cooks, Restaurant salary in Houston: questions
How much do cooks, restaurant make an hour in Houston?
$15.85 an hour on average, and $16.85 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level cooks, restaurant salary in Houston?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $24,600 a year and the 25th percentile is $28,290, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the cooks, restaurant take-home pay in Houston?
About $28,671 a year ($2,389 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $32,970. Texas has no state income tax.
Do cooks, restaurant earn more in Houston than elsewhere?
The average here is 16% 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (26420). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.6%.
- 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 1.10, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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