Cooks, All Other Salary
Cooks, All Others in Salinas, CA make a median of $39,640 a year, or about $19.06 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $55K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.04), so that salary is closer to $36,354 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,684/month, about 98.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $40K get you in Salinas?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Salinas’s Regional Price Parity (109.04). 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 cooks, all others
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What this looks like in Salinas
Cooks, all other pay in Salinas tracks closely to the national median, $40K locally vs. $38K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,684/month, which is 97.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 9% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.04), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cooks, all others in metros near Salinas, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $37K | $35K |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $45K | $41K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $43K | $37K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $39K | $34K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Salinas, CA
Entry-level cooks, all others (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $40K. Top earners bring in $55K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, All Other pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Cooks, All Other salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $70K | +85% | N/A |
| Washington | $53K | +39% | 140 |
| Nevada | $51K | +36% | 320 |
| New Jersey | $46K | +22% | 280 |
| Indiana | $44K | +18% | 30 |
| North Dakota | $44K | +17% | 60 |
| Missouri | $44K | +17% | 70 |
| Colorado | $43K | +15% | 100 |
| New York | $43K | +14% | 1,090 |
| Georgia | $43K | +14% | 340 |
| California | $43K | +14% | 3,990 |
| Montana | $43K | +13% | 200 |
| Oregon | $42K | +11% | 450 |
| Arizona | $42K | +11% | 550 |
| Vermont | $41K | +9% | 160 |
| Hawaii | $40K | +6% | 100 |
| Florida | $40K | +5% | 710 |
| Connecticut | $37K | -1% | 220 |
| Michigan | $37K | -2% | 300 |
| Minnesota | $37K | -2% | 80 |
| Tennessee | $36K | -3% | 2,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $36K | -4% | 660 |
| Illinois | $36K | -5% | N/A |
| Virginia | $36K | -5% | 480 |
| Ohio | $35K | -6% | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $34K | -10% | 50 |
| Mississippi | $33K | -11% | N/A |
| Texas | $32K | -15% | 4,650 |
| Maryland | $32K | -15% | 610 |
| North Carolina | $31K | -17% | 150 |
| Arkansas | $31K | -18% | 90 |
| Louisiana | $29K | -23% | 430 |
| Iowa | $26K | -31% | 210 |
Showing 1–10 of 33 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track cooks, all other salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Salinas numbers change.
Related careers in Food Service
Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, all other afford a 2BR apartment alone in Salinas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $40K, rent takes 97.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,684/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cooks, all others in Salinas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, all others typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,213/month. At HUD’s $2,684/month FMR, rent would take 121% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cooks, all other a high-paying job in Salinas?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $40K locally vs. $38K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Salinas compare to the national average for cooks, all others?
Salinas pays $40K median vs. the U.S. average of $38K — that’s +5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.04), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, all others make in Salinas, CA?
The median is $39,640 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,890, and experienced cooks, all others can clear $54,910. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $40K enough to live in Salinas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,760/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,684/month, which eats 97.2% 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 cooks, all other salary go in Salinas?
Salinas has a Regional Price Parity of 109.04 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median cooks, all other salary is worth about $36,354 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cooks, all others 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.