Cooks, Restaurant Salary
Cooks, Restaurants in North Carolina make a median of $35,400 a year, or about $17.02 an hour. The range runs from $28K at the entry level to $45K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 92.66), which stretches that salary to about $38,204 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,284/month, about 52.2% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across North Carolina. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $35K get you in North Carolina?
About cooks, restaurants
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What this looks like in North Carolina
Cooks, restaurant pay in North Carolina tracks closely to the national median, $35K locally vs. $37K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,284/month, which is 53.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 92.66 (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, North Carolina
Entry-level cooks, restaurants (10th percentile) start around $28K. Mid-career wages sit at $35K. Top earners bring in $45K or more, a $17K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Restaurant salary by metro in North Carolina
15 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $37K | +5% | 14,430 |
| Asheville | $37K | +3% | 2,480 |
| Raleigh-Cary | $36K | +2% | 7,160 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | $36K | +2% | 2,660 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines | $36K | +1% | 670 |
| Wilmington | $35K | -1% | 3,440 |
| Winston-Salem | $35K | -2% | 2,580 |
| Greensboro-High Point | $35K | -2% | 3,250 |
| Greenville | $34K | -4% | 890 |
| Burlington | $33K | -7% | 740 |
| Fayetteville | $33K | -8% | 1,210 |
| Goldsboro | $32K | -8% | 420 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton | $30K | -14% | 1,410 |
| Jacksonville | $30K | -16% | 730 |
| Rocky Mount | $29K | -18% | 420 |
Showing 1–10 of 15 metros
Compare to other states
Track cooks, restaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when North Carolina numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, restaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in North Carolina?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $35K, rent takes 53.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,284/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 North Carolina?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, restaurants typically earn — is $28K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,679/month. At HUD’s $1,284/month FMR, rent would take 76% 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 North Carolina?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $35K locally vs. $37K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does North Carolina compare to the national average for cooks, restaurants?
North Carolina pays $35K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 92.66), the purchasing-power equivalent is $38K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, restaurants make in North Carolina?
The median is $35,400 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $27,980, and experienced cooks, restaurants can clear $45,450. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $35K enough to live in North Carolina?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,407/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,284/month, which eats 53.3% 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, restaurant salary go in North Carolina?
North Carolina has a Regional Price Parity of 92.66 (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 $38,204 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.