Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop Salary
In Cape Girardeau, MO-IL, hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops earn $28,600 at the median, or about $13.75 an hour. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $34K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 86.08), which stretches that salary to about $33,225 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $992/month, about 49.1% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $29K get you in Cape Girardeau?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Cape Girardeau’s Regional Price Parity (86.08). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
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What this looks like in Cape Girardeau
Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop pay in Cape Girardeau tracks closely to the national median, $29K locally vs. $31K nationwide, a 8% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $992/month, which is 48.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 86.08 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops in metros near Cape Girardeau, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $29K | $32K |
| St. Louis | $31K | $33K |
| Springfield | $29K | $32K |
| Columbia | $29K | $32K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
Entry-level hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $29K. Top earners bring in $34K or more, a $6K spread from bottom to top.
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $47K | +51% | 2,650 |
| Oregon | $41K | +31% | 5,740 |
| District of Columbia | $38K | +20% | 2,450 |
| Washington | $37K | +19% | 9,530 |
| Maine | $37K | +18% | 1,460 |
| California | $37K | +17% | 41,100 |
| New York | $36K | +17% | 18,640 |
| Colorado | $36K | +16% | 9,490 |
| Massachusetts | $35K | +12% | 13,540 |
| Maryland | $35K | +12% | 7,390 |
| Arizona | $35K | +11% | 10,710 |
| Connecticut | $34K | +10% | 3,670 |
| New Jersey | $34K | +9% | 9,420 |
| New Hampshire | $34K | +9% | 2,130 |
| Rhode Island | $31K | +1% | N/A |
| Illinois | $31K | +0% | 16,500 |
| Delaware | $31K | +0% | 1,680 |
| Nevada | $31K | -0% | 6,570 |
| Vermont | $31K | -0% | 1,060 |
| Virginia | $30K | -2% | 10,890 |
| South Dakota | $30K | -3% | 630 |
| Alaska | $30K | -3% | 740 |
| Minnesota | $30K | -3% | 7,150 |
| Florida | $30K | -4% | 37,100 |
| Utah | $30K | -5% | 4,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $29K | -7% | 18,020 |
| Missouri | $29K | -7% | 8,510 |
| Michigan | $29K | -7% | 12,620 |
| Montana | $29K | -7% | 1,260 |
| North Dakota | $29K | -8% | 800 |
| New Mexico | $28K | -9% | 2,670 |
| Nebraska | $28K | -9% | 2,830 |
| North Carolina | $28K | -9% | 15,160 |
| Iowa | $28K | -10% | 2,630 |
| Kansas | $28K | -10% | 4,540 |
| Wisconsin | $28K | -10% | 6,430 |
| Georgia | $28K | -11% | 17,300 |
| Ohio | $28K | -12% | 15,480 |
| Tennessee | $27K | -12% | 11,280 |
| Idaho | $27K | -13% | 2,360 |
| Kentucky | $27K | -13% | 5,120 |
| Texas | $27K | -13% | 35,550 |
| South Carolina | $27K | -13% | 7,990 |
| Indiana | $27K | -14% | 9,730 |
| Arkansas | $27K | -14% | 3,110 |
| Alabama | $26K | -16% | 5,400 |
| Oklahoma | $25K | -21% | 5,060 |
| West Virginia | $24K | -22% | 1,580 |
| Wyoming | $23K | -27% | 660 |
| Louisiana | $22K | -29% | 6,440 |
| Mississippi | $22K | -30% | 2,660 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop afford a 2BR apartment alone in Cape Girardeau?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $29K, rent takes 48.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $992/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops in Cape Girardeau?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,716/month. At HUD’s $992/month FMR, rent would take 58% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop a high-paying job in Cape Girardeau?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $29K locally vs. $31K nationally, a 8% difference.
How does Cape Girardeau compare to the national average for hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops?
Cape Girardeau pays $29K median vs. the U.S. average of $31K — that’s -8%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 86.08), the purchasing-power equivalent is $33K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops make in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL?
The median is $28,600 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $28,600, and experienced hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops can clear $34,240. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $29K enough to live in Cape Girardeau?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,038/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $992/month, which eats 48.7% 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 hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop salary go in Cape Girardeau?
Cape Girardeau has a Regional Price Parity of 86.08 (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 hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop salary is worth about $33,225 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shops 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.