Cooks, Restaurant Salary
Cooks, Restaurants in South Carolina make a median of $35,740 a year, or about $17.18 an hour. The range runs from $26K at the entry level to $46K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.17), which stretches that salary to about $38,360 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,263/month, about 51.8% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across South Carolina. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $36K get you in South Carolina?
About cooks, restaurants
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What this looks like in South Carolina
Cooks, restaurant pay in South Carolina tracks closely to the national median, $36K locally vs. $37K nationwide, a 4% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,263/month, which is 50.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.17 (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, South Carolina
Entry-level cooks, restaurants (10th percentile) start around $26K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $46K or more, a $19K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Restaurant salary by metro in South Carolina
8 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal | $37K | +3% | 1,730 |
| Charleston-North Charleston | $37K | +3% | 6,040 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | $36K | -0% | 4,360 |
| Spartanburg | $36K | -1% | 1,180 |
| Columbia | $35K | -1% | 3,520 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach | $35K | -2% | 3,420 |
| Florence | $35K | -3% | 730 |
| Sumter | $31K | -12% | 290 |
Compare to other states
Track cooks, restaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when South Carolina numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, restaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in South Carolina?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 50.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,263/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 South Carolina?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, restaurants typically earn — is $26K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,572/month. At HUD’s $1,263/month FMR, rent would take 80% 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 South Carolina?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $36K locally vs. $37K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does South Carolina compare to the national average for cooks, restaurants?
South Carolina pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s -4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.17), the purchasing-power equivalent is $38K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, restaurants make in South Carolina?
The median is $35,740 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $26,200, and experienced cooks, restaurants can clear $45,680. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in South Carolina?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,508/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,263/month, which eats 50.4% 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 South Carolina?
South Carolina has a Regional Price Parity of 93.17 (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 $38,360 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.