Restaurant cook pay in Columbia, SC at a glance
Median salary
$35,490$17.06 per hour · $2,958 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
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Restaurant cook salary in Columbia, SC after taxes
Restaurant cooks pay range in Columbia, SC, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the Columbia, SC metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.
| Percentile | Hourly | Monthly | Yearly | After tax a year (SC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $12.92/hr | $2,239 | $26,870 | $23,501 |
| 25th percentile | $14.65/hr | $2,539 | $30,470 | $26,355 |
| MedianMedian | $17.06/hr | $2,958 | $35,490 | $30,288 |
| 75th percentile | $18.42/hr | $3,193 | $38,320 | $32,506 |
| 90th percentile | $20.78/hr | $3,602 | $43,220 | $36,328 |
Is $35,490 a good salary in Columbia, SC?
It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for restaurant cooks next to both.
Restaurant cooks pay in South Carolina and across the U.S.
The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.
Do restaurant cooks pay tax on tips?
Yes, but less than before. This job is on the Treasury's list of tipped occupations, so from 2025 through 2028 up to $25,000 a year of reported tips comes off federal taxable income, shrinking above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint). Social Security and Medicare are still owed on every tip, and most states still tax them. The BLS pay figures on this page already include tips as employers report them.
Restaurant cook pay in Columbia, SC: common questions
What is the median salary for restaurant cooks in Columbia, SC?
The BLS median annual wage for restaurant cooks in the Columbia, SC metro area was $35,490 in May 2025, about $2,958 a month or $17.06 an hour. Statewide, the South Carolina median for this job is $35,740, so the metro pays 1% below the state.
What is the hourly pay for restaurant cooks in Columbia, SC?
The median hourly wage for restaurant cooks in Columbia, SC was $17.06 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $12.92 an hour and one in ten earned more than $20.78.
How many restaurant cooks work in Columbia, SC?
BLS estimated 3,520 jobs for restaurant cooks in the metro in May 2025, or 8.9 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.99 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.
What is the pay range for restaurant cooks in Columbia, SC?
BLS wage estimates for restaurant cooks in Columbia, SC run from $26,870 at the 10th percentile to $30,470 at the 25th, $38,320 at the 75th, and $43,220 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do restaurant cooks take home after taxes in Columbia, SC?
On a median gross salary of $35,490, an estimated $30,288 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,165 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in South Carolina in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,202 (an effective rate of 14.7%).
How much do restaurant cooks make per month in Columbia, SC?
On the median annual salary of $35,490, gross monthly income is $2,958. After federal, FICA, and South Carolina state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,524 per month (or $1,165 every two weeks).
Is $35,490 a good salary in Columbia, SC?
At $35,490, the median salary for restaurant cooks is 51.9% of the Columbia, SC median household income ($68,359). It is 24% below the $46,430 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 93.7, so prices here run 6.3% below the U.S. average.