Cooks, Restaurant Salary
Cooks, Restaurants in New Mexico make a median of $35,020 a year, or about $16.84 an hour. The range runs from $28K at the entry level to $43K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.06), which stretches that salary to about $37,632 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,119/month, about 46.8% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across New Mexico. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $35K get you in New Mexico?
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What this looks like in New Mexico
Cooks, restaurant pay in New Mexico tracks closely to the national median, $35K locally vs. $37K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,119/month, which is 45.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.06 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 7% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, New Mexico
Entry-level cooks, restaurants (10th percentile) start around $28K. Mid-career wages sit at $35K. Top earners bring in $43K or more, a $15K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Restaurant salary by metro in New Mexico
4 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe | $37K | +6% | 1,100 |
| Albuquerque | $35K | +0% | 3,390 |
| Farmington | $35K | -1% | 370 |
| Las Cruces | $31K | -12% | 730 |
Compare to other states
Track cooks, restaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when New Mexico numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, restaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in New Mexico?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $35K, rent takes 45.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,119/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 New Mexico?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, restaurants typically earn — is $28K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,686/month. At HUD’s $1,119/month FMR, rent would take 66% 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 New Mexico?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $35K locally vs. $37K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does New Mexico compare to the national average for cooks, restaurants?
New Mexico pays $35K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s -6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.06), the purchasing-power equivalent is $38K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, restaurants make in New Mexico?
The median is $35,020 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,100, and experienced cooks, restaurants can clear $43,400. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $35K enough to live in New Mexico?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,455/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,119/month, which eats 45.6% 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 New Mexico?
New Mexico has a Regional Price Parity of 93.06 (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 $37,632 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.