Side-by-side distribution
Chef
$46,608
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 28.4%
- Live roles
- 728
Cook
$37,440
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 51%
- Live roles
- 486
Highest-paying jobs
Executive Sous Chef
Executive Chef
Executive Sous Chef
Chef de Produit Numérique (H/F)
Manager, Business Development - Green Chef
Recipe & Content Chef
Executive Sous Chef
Senior Research Chef APAC - Ninja Culinary
Executive Sous Chef / Assistant General Manager
Lead, Data Development, AI Platform | Chef(fe), Développement des données – Plateforme d’IA
Highest-paying jobs
Cook
Cook II, (Seasonal Full-Time, Part-Time, On-Call)
Cook | Sal Salis
Line Cook - Banff Park Ranch - Staff Housing Available
Sushi Cook, Sensei by Nobu | Start on August 27, 2026
Line Cook - Banff Hospitality Collective - Staff Housing Available
Line Cook - Bear Street Tavern - Staff Housing Available
Cook
Cook / Housekeeper – Menlo Park, CA
Line Cook I - Little Beach House Malibu
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
DIG INN Chefs-In-Training
|
$36,400 | 67 |
|
JOEY Restaurants
|
$56,500 | 33 |
|
Soho House & Co.
|
$48,195 | 28 |
DIG INN Restaurant Teams
|
$82,500 | 15 |
|
HelloFresh
|
$64,716 | 8 |
LOCAL Public Eatery
|
$57,500 | 8 |
Hind Management
|
$63,731 | 4 |
Ocean Casino Resort
|
$61,550 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
DIG INN Chefs-In-Training
|
$36,400 | 94 |
|
JOEY Restaurants
|
$43,810 | 20 |
Middlebury College
|
$36,296 | 13 |
|
Banff Hospitality Collective
|
$45,760 | 12 |
|
Soho House & Co.
|
$54,080 | 9 |
Otterbein SeniorLife
|
$5,250 | 8 |
Intown Golf Club
|
$43,680 | 7 |
Sunshine House
|
$34,320 | 4 |
Chef vs Cook: which pays more?
The median for Chef is $46,608 per year (typically $39,758–$60,495), versus $37,440 for Cook ($36,400–$45,825). That puts Chef about 24% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Chef and Cook are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.