Cook salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a cook is $74,500 per annum, before tax, up $15,300 since 2018.
What a cook takes home depends heavily on the employer. Hospitals, aged care providers and large caterers usually pay under enterprise agreements with set classifications, while small cafes and restaurants often pay award rates plus penalty rates for nights, weekends and public holidays. A Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and experience running a section are what move you into a higher classification.
Roles that pay more than cook
The largest typical pay rise is $11,000 a year, moving into Cafe Manager.
- Cafe Manager+$11,000/yr
- Restaurant Manager+$11,000/yr
How to negotiate a higher cook salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time cook salary is $74,500; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Cooks are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Food preparation and cooking and Food safety and hygiene tend to command a premium over general cook experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Cafe Manager pays a typical $11,000 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Cook salary questions
How much do cooks earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a cook is $74,500 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is cook pay rising or falling?
The median cook salary is up $15,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than cook?
Cafe Manager pays a typical $11,000 a year more and draws on similar skills to cook.