Chef Salary in North West
Official ONS earnings for North West.
Median salary — North West
£26,000
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 3.3% change on the previous year
Mean
£25,187
What a typical chef takes home
On the median of £26,000, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£1,853
Take-home a year
£22,240
Income Tax
£2,686
National Insurance
£1,074
What most chefs actually earn
Half of chefs across the UK earn between £17,587 and £33,245. Earning above £33,245 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
This range is UK-wide — ONS publishes no regional breakdown of the spread for this occupation.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of chefs earn less than this.
How North West ranks for chef pay
3rd
of 3 GB regions with a published figure
North West is the lowest-paying of the 3 regions ONS measures for this role, £4,928 behind London on £30,928.
Ranking compares published regional medians for the same occupation. It says nothing about cost of living — a higher median doesn't survive contact with rent. The cost of living calculator is the honest next step.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Chefs
- SOC 2020 code
- 5434
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Chef salary FAQs
What is the average Chef salary in North West?
The median is £26,000 a year and the mean is £25,187, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
How much does a chef earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £14.00 excluding overtime, or £14.67 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for North West.
What is a good Chef salary?
Half of chefs earn between £17,587 and £33,245. Anything above £33,245 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a chef?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of chefs earn under £11,698 and the lowest quarter under £17,587 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
How much do the highest-paid chefs earn?
The top 10% of chefs earn more than £40,597 a year, and the top quarter more than £33,245. ASHE does not publish figures above the 90th percentile.
Do chefs in North West earn more than the UK average?
The median in North West is £26,000 against £26,531 across the UK, 2.0% lower, which places it lowest of the 3 GB regions with a precise estimate.
Has chef pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +3.3% for this occupation in North West. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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