SOC 35-2014 · Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro

Cooks, Restaurant Salary in Houston, TX

The average salary for cooks, restaurant in Houston, Texas is $32,970 a year ($15.85 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $35,050: half of the 32,710 people in this job in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 16% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($39,073).

$32,970average per year

$15.85 / hourMedian $35,050Take-home ≈ $28,671

  • $25K10th
  • $28K25th
  • $35KMedian
  • $37K75th
  • $38K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

32,710people in this job
-16%vs U.S. metro average
#6 of 25Texas metros
99cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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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 levelPer yearPer monthPer 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.

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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.

See what $32,970 is worth in another city

Cooks, Restaurant salary in other Texas cities

Houston ranks 6th 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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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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