Cooks, Restaurant Salary
Cooks, Restaurants in Virginia make a median of $36,750 a year, or about $17.67 an hour. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $46K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.79), which stretches that salary to about $38,770 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,646/month, about 65.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Virginia. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $37K get you in Virginia?
About cooks, restaurants
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What this looks like in Virginia
Cooks, restaurant pay in Virginia tracks closely to the national median, $37K locally vs. $37K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,646/month, which is 65.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.79 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% 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, Virginia
Entry-level cooks, restaurants (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $46K or more, a $16K spread from bottom to top.
Cooks, Restaurant salary by metro in Virginia
9 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | $37K | +1% | 6,160 |
| Charlottesville | $37K | +1% | 1,370 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $36K | -1% | 8,380 |
| Harrisonburg | $36K | -2% | 740 |
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft | $36K | -2% | 500 |
| Winchester | $35K | -4% | 660 |
| Lynchburg | $35K | -5% | 1,000 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | $35K | -5% | 720 |
| Roanoke | $35K | -5% | 1,560 |
Compare to other states
Track cooks, restaurant salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Virginia numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a cooks, restaurant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Virginia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 65.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,646/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 Virginia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cooks, restaurants typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,760/month. At HUD’s $1,646/month FMR, rent would take 94% 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 Virginia?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $37K locally vs. $37K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Virginia compare to the national average for cooks, restaurants?
Virginia pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $37K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.79), the purchasing-power equivalent is $39K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cooks, restaurants make in Virginia?
The median is $36,750 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,340, and experienced cooks, restaurants can clear $45,740. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in Virginia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,497/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,646/month, which eats 65.9% 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 Virginia?
Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 94.79 (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 $38,770 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.