Cooks, Restaurant Salary
Cooks, Restaurants in Alabama make a median of $32,180 a year, or about $15.47 an hour. The range runs from $24K at the entry level to $39K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.36), which stretches that salary to about $36,419 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,085/month, about 49.4% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Alabama. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $32K get you in Alabama?
About cooks, restaurants
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What this looks like in Alabama
Pay for cooks, restaurant in Alabama runs about 14% below the U.S. median of $37K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,085/month, which is 49.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.36 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 12% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for cooks, restaurants.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Alabama
Entry-level cooks, restaurants (10th percentile) start around $24K. Mid-career wages sit at $32K. Top earners bring in $39K or more, a $15K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Restaurant salary by metro in Alabama
12 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | $36K | +10% | 1,800 |
| Birmingham | $34K | +7% | 4,020 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley | $34K | +5% | 1,600 |
| Montgomery | $33K | +3% | 1,280 |
| Mobile | $33K | +3% | 1,310 |
| Decatur | $32K | +1% | 380 |
| Tuscaloosa | $31K | -5% | 890 |
| Auburn-Opelika | $31K | -5% | 760 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals | $30K | -6% | 590 |
| Anniston-Oxford | $30K | -7% | 390 |
| Dothan | $30K | -8% | 560 |
| Gadsden | $29K | -11% | 400 |
Showing 1–10 of 12 metros
Compare to other states
Track cooks, restaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Alabama numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, restaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Alabama?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $32K, rent takes 49.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,085/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, restaurants in Alabama?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, restaurants typically earn — is $24K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,450/month. At HUD’s $1,085/month FMR, rent would take 75% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cooks, restaurant a high-paying job in Alabama?
Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $32K here vs. $37K nationally. Cost of living is 12% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Alabama compare to the national average for cooks, restaurants?
Alabama pays $32K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s -14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.36), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, restaurants make in Alabama?
The median is $32,180 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $24,170, and experienced cooks, restaurants can clear $39,220. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $32K enough to live in Alabama?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,204/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,085/month, which eats 49.2% 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, restaurant salary go in Alabama?
Alabama has a Regional Price Parity of 88.36 (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, restaurant salary is worth about $36,419 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cooks, restaurants 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.