Cooks, Restaurant Salary
Cooks, Restaurants in Florida make a median of $37,020 a year, or about $17.8 an hour. The range runs from $30K at the entry level to $46K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.58), that's roughly $37,553 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,658/month, about 62.2% 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 $37K get you in Florida?
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What this looks like in Florida
Cooks, restaurant pay in Florida tracks closely to the national median, $37K locally vs. $37K nationwide, a 1% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,658/month, which is 62.6% 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, restaurants (10th percentile) start around $30K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $46K or more, a $17K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Restaurant salary by metro in Florida
22 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naples-Marco Island | $41K | +11% | 3,650 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $38K | +3% | 19,960 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota | $37K | +1% | 4,780 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | $37K | +1% | 4,330 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $37K | -0% | 18,640 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $37K | -0% | 37,210 |
| Jacksonville | $37K | -1% | 7,770 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville | $37K | -1% | 2,890 |
| Punta Gorda | $37K | -1% | 990 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin | $37K | -1% | 2,400 |
| Port St. Lucie | $37K | -1% | 2,240 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor | $36K | -1% | 870 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | $36K | -2% | 3,280 |
| Wildwood-The Villages | $36K | -3% | 560 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent | $36K | -3% | 2,260 |
| Gainesville | $36K | -3% | 1,320 |
| Panama City-Panama City Beach | $36K | -4% | 1,310 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven | $36K | -4% | 2,080 |
| Ocala | $36K | -4% | 1,260 |
| Homosassa Springs | $35K | -6% | 530 |
| Tallahassee | $35K | -7% | 1,520 |
| Sebring | $35K | -7% | 300 |
Showing 1–10 of 22 metros
Compare to other states
Track cooks, restaurant 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, restaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Florida?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 62.6% 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 $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cooks, restaurants in Florida?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, restaurants typically earn — is $30K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,783/month. At HUD’s $1,658/month FMR, rent would take 93% 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 Florida?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $37K locally vs. $37K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Florida compare to the national average for cooks, restaurants?
Florida pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s -1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.58), the purchasing-power equivalent is $38K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, restaurants make in Florida?
The median is $37,020 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,710, and experienced cooks, restaurants can clear $46,450. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in Florida?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,649/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,658/month, which eats 62.6% 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 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, restaurant salary is worth about $37,553 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.