Chefs and Head Cooks Salary
Chefs and Head Cooks in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX make a median of $47,850 a year, or about $23.01 an hour. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $76K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.97), which stretches that salary to about $55,659 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,047/month, about 30.4% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $48K actually covers in Brownsville-Harlingen, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Brownsville-Harlingen’s Regional Price Parity (85.97). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About chefs and head cooks
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What this looks like in Brownsville-Harlingen
Pay for chefs and head cooks in Brownsville-Harlingen runs about 23% below the U.S. median of $62K. Rent runs $1,047/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 31% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 85.97 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for chefs and head cooks in metros near Brownsville-Harlingen, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $45K | $46K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $64K | $62K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $62K | $64K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $49K | $52K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Entry-level chefs and head cooks (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $48K. Top earners bring in $76K or more, a $47K spread from bottom to top.
Chefs and Head Cooks pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Chefs and Head Cooks salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $80K | +28% | 740 |
| Hawaii | $77K | +24% | 1,240 |
| District of Columbia | $76K | +22% | 2,020 |
| Washington | $76K | +22% | 5,320 |
| North Dakota | $75K | +20% | 100 |
| New Jersey | $74K | +19% | 9,100 |
| Wyoming | $73K | +17% | 240 |
| South Carolina | $72K | +15% | 2,650 |
| New York | $71K | +13% | 17,430 |
| Tennessee | $70K | +12% | 3,820 |
| Massachusetts | $70K | +11% | 6,000 |
| Georgia | $66K | +6% | 3,680 |
| Vermont | $65K | +5% | 610 |
| Colorado | $65K | +5% | 3,970 |
| California | $65K | +3% | 31,670 |
| Missouri | $64K | +3% | 1,750 |
| Connecticut | $64K | +3% | 3,080 |
| Pennsylvania | $64K | +2% | 9,170 |
| Oregon | $64K | +2% | 2,510 |
| New Hampshire | $63K | +1% | 1,170 |
| Virginia | $63K | +1% | 3,600 |
| Minnesota | $63K | +0% | 1,730 |
| Alabama | $62K | -0% | 1,000 |
| Nevada | $62K | -0% | 3,940 |
| New Mexico | $62K | -0% | 770 |
| Maryland | $62K | -1% | 3,220 |
| Delaware | $61K | -2% | 590 |
| Wisconsin | $61K | -2% | 1,860 |
| North Carolina | $61K | -2% | 4,920 |
| West Virginia | $61K | -2% | 350 |
| Nebraska | $61K | -3% | 540 |
| Michigan | $60K | -4% | 5,360 |
| Arizona | $60K | -4% | 4,080 |
| Utah | $59K | -5% | 1,740 |
| Illinois | $59K | -6% | 8,290 |
| Oklahoma | $59K | -6% | 1,430 |
| Kansas | $58K | -7% | 860 |
| Florida | $58K | -7% | 19,670 |
| Montana | $57K | -8% | 720 |
| Maine | $57K | -9% | 1,250 |
| Texas | $56K | -10% | 13,270 |
| Mississippi | $55K | -12% | 840 |
| Ohio | $54K | -14% | 4,000 |
| Indiana | $52K | -16% | 1,940 |
| Alaska | $52K | -16% | 680 |
| Idaho | $52K | -17% | 550 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -22% | 300 |
| Kentucky | $48K | -23% | 1,790 |
| Iowa | $48K | -23% | 1,640 |
| Arkansas | $46K | -26% | 880 |
| Louisiana | $46K | -27% | 1,990 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a chefs and head cook afford a 2BR apartment alone in Brownsville-Harlingen?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $48K, rent takes 31% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,047/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for chefs and head cooks in Brownsville-Harlingen?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new chefs and head cooks typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,116/month. At HUD’s $1,047/month FMR, rent would take 49% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is chefs and head cook a high-paying job in Brownsville-Harlingen?
Local pay runs 23% below the national median — $48K here vs. $62K nationally. Cost of living is 14% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Brownsville-Harlingen compare to the national average for chefs and head cooks?
Brownsville-Harlingen pays $48K median vs. the U.S. average of $62K — that’s -23%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 85.97), the purchasing-power equivalent is $56K — below the national median.
How much do chefs and head cooks make in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
The median is $47,850 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,060, and experienced chefs and head cooks can clear $75,860. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $48K enough to live in Brownsville-Harlingen?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,374/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,047/month, which eats 31% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a chefs and head cooks salary go in Brownsville-Harlingen?
Brownsville-Harlingen has a Regional Price Parity of 85.97 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median chefs and head cooks salary is worth about $55,659 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do chefs and head cooks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.