Cooks, Restaurant Salary
Cooks, Restaurants in Oklahoma make a median of $31,720 a year, or about $15.25 an hour. The range runs from $23K at the entry level to $44K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.46), which stretches that salary to about $36,268 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,081/month, about 50% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Oklahoma. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $32K get you in Oklahoma?
About cooks, restaurants
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What this looks like in Oklahoma
Pay for cooks, restaurant in Oklahoma runs about 15% below the U.S. median of $37K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,081/month, which is 48.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.46 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 13% 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, Oklahoma
Entry-level cooks, restaurants (10th percentile) start around $23K. Mid-career wages sit at $32K. Top earners bring in $44K or more, a $21K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Restaurant salary by metro in Oklahoma
4 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | $36K | +14% | 7,130 |
| Tulsa | $33K | +5% | 4,420 |
| Enid | $29K | -8% | 220 |
| Lawton | $29K | -9% | 410 |
Compare to other states
Track cooks, restaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Oklahoma numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, restaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Oklahoma?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $32K, rent takes 48.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,081/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 Oklahoma?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, restaurants typically earn — is $23K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,371/month. At HUD’s $1,081/month FMR, rent would take 79% 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 Oklahoma?
Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $32K here vs. $37K nationally. Cost of living is 13% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Oklahoma compare to the national average for cooks, restaurants?
Oklahoma pays $32K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s -15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.46), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — below the national median.
How much do cooks, restaurants make in Oklahoma?
The median is $31,720 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $22,850, and experienced cooks, restaurants can clear $44,170. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $32K enough to live in Oklahoma?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,209/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,081/month, which eats 48.9% 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 Oklahoma?
Oklahoma has a Regional Price Parity of 87.46 (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 $36,268 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.