Cooks, Fast Food Salary
Cooks, Fast Foods in Florida make a median of $29,900 a year, or about $14.37 an hour. The range runs from $27K at the entry level to $41K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.58), that's roughly $30,331 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,658/month, about 74.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Florida. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $30K get you in Florida?
About cooks, fast foods
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What this looks like in Florida
Cooks, fast food pay in Florida tracks closely to the national median, $30K locally vs. $31K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,658/month, which is 76.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.58) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Florida
Entry-level cooks, fast foods (10th percentile) start around $27K. Mid-career wages sit at $30K. Top earners bring in $41K or more, a $14K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Fast Food salary by metro in Florida
13 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota | $33K | +10% | 690 |
| Naples-Marco Island | $31K | +5% | 290 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $31K | +4% | 7,110 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $30K | +1% | 2,000 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $30K | +0% | 4,580 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin | $30K | +0% | 380 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent | $29K | -2% | 400 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | $29K | -3% | 670 |
| Port St. Lucie | $28K | -5% | 410 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | $28K | -6% | 620 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor | $28K | -6% | 130 |
| Jacksonville | $28K | -8% | 2,240 |
| Ocala | $27K | -10% | 380 |
Showing 1–10 of 13 metros
Compare to other states
Track cooks, fast food salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Florida numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, fast food afford a 2BR apartment alone in Florida?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $30K, rent takes 76.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,658/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cooks, fast foods in Florida?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, fast foods typically earn — is $27K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,648/month. At HUD’s $1,658/month FMR, rent would take 101% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cooks, fast food a high-paying job in Florida?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $30K locally vs. $31K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Florida compare to the national average for cooks, fast foods?
Florida pays $30K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.58), the purchasing-power equivalent is $30K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, fast foods make in Florida?
The median is $29,900 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $27,460, and experienced cooks, fast foods can clear $41,400. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $30K enough to live in Florida?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,172/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,658/month, which eats 76.3% 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, fast food salary go in Florida?
Florida has a Regional Price Parity of 98.58 (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 cooks, fast food salary is worth about $30,331 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cooks, fast foods 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.