A person working as a Chef in France typically earns around 30,200 EUR per year. Salaries range from 14,800 EUR (lowest) to 47,100 EUR (highest).
This is the average yearly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Chef salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Chef salaries in France range from 14,800 EUR per year (minimum salary) to 47,100 EUR per year (maximum salary).
The median salary is 30,800 EUR per year, which means that half (50%) of people working as Chef(s) are earning less than 30,800 EUR while the other half are earning more than 30,800 EUR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Chef(s) are earning less than 20,500 EUR while 75% of them are earning more than 20,500 EUR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Chef(s) are earning less than 39,700 EUR while 25% are earning more than 39,700 EUR.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Chef salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Chef with less than two years of experience makes approximately 17,500 EUR per year.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 22,500 EUR per year, 29% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 31,100 EUR per year, 38% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Chef(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 38,500 EUR per year, 24% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 41,300 EUR per year, 7% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 44,000 EUR per year, 7% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 17,500 EUR | |
2 - 5 Years | +29% | 22,500 EUR |
5 - 10 Years | +38% | 31,100 EUR |
10 - 15 Years | +24% | 38,500 EUR |
15 - 20 Years | +7% | 41,300 EUR |
20+ Years | +7% | 44,000 EUR |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Chef salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is High School, the average salary of a Chef is 24,800 EUR per year.
While someone with a Certificate or Diploma gets a salary of 40,900 EUR per year, 65% more than someone having a High School degree.
High School | 24,800 EUR | |
Certificate or Diploma | +65% | 40,900 EUR |
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Chef employees in France earn 5% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 30,900 EUR | |
Female | -5% | 29,400 EUR |
Chef(s) in France are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 10% every 15 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 15 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 2% | |
Energy | 4% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 8% | |
Travel | 1% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 5% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in France for the year 2021. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
A Chef is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
44% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 56% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 56% | |
No Bonus | 44% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Chef is 9% less than that of Food / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering. Also, Food / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering salaries are 33% less than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
All Rounder | 19,500 EUR | ![]() |
Assistant Executive Housekeeper | 14,100 EUR | ![]() |
Assistant Food and Beverage Director | 62,200 EUR | ![]() |
Assistant Hospitality Manager | 65,000 EUR | ![]() |
Assistant Storekeeper | 12,600 EUR | ![]() |
Assistant Tour Manager | 31,800 EUR | ![]() |
Baker and Pastrycook | 16,500 EUR | ![]() |
Bakery Manager | 36,300 EUR | ![]() |
Bakery Superintendent | 23,000 EUR | ![]() |
Banquet Manager | 26,300 EUR | ![]() |
Banquet Server | 15,000 EUR | ![]() |
Bar Attendant | 16,100 EUR | ![]() |
Bar Manager | 31,700 EUR | ![]() |
Bar Supervisor | 21,200 EUR | ![]() |
Barista | 19,600 EUR | ![]() |
Bartender | 18,600 EUR | ![]() |
Bellman | 15,100 EUR | ![]() |
Beverage Manager | 36,900 EUR | ![]() |
Bistro Attendant | 15,500 EUR | ![]() |
Buffet Chef | 28,300 EUR | ![]() |
Buffet Host | 16,100 EUR | ![]() |
Buffet Manager | 35,000 EUR | ![]() |
Butcher and Slaughterer | 12,800 EUR | ![]() |
Cafeteria Manager | 28,400 EUR | ![]() |
Cake Decorator | 17,900 EUR | ![]() |
Casino Shift Manager | 55,900 EUR | ![]() |
Chain Store Customer Support | 25,100 EUR | ![]() |
Chef | 30,200 EUR | ![]() |
Club Manager | 57,200 EUR | ![]() |
Cluster Director | 74,600 EUR | ![]() |
Cluster Revenue Manager | 57,000 EUR | ![]() |
Cocktail Server | 16,200 EUR | ![]() |
Coffee Shop Manager | 53,100 EUR | ![]() |
Concierge | 14,500 EUR | ![]() |
Confectionery Baker | 17,600 EUR | ![]() |
Conference Services Manager | 35,700 EUR | ![]() |
Cook | 25,400 EUR | ![]() |
Corporate Sous Chef | 43,200 EUR | ![]() |
Corporate Travel Consultant | 44,200 EUR | ![]() |
Croupier | 21,000 EUR | ![]() |
Culinary Assistant | 14,300 EUR | ![]() |
Culinary Associate | 13,900 EUR | ![]() |
Dietary Aide | 29,500 EUR | ![]() |
Dining Room Supervisor | 27,400 EUR | ![]() |
Dishwasher | 11,900 EUR | ![]() |
Duty Manager | 35,900 EUR | ![]() |
Events Coordinator | 22,000 EUR | ![]() |
Executive Chef | 33,100 EUR | ![]() |
Executive Pastry Chef | 27,400 EUR | ![]() |
Fast Food Cook | 23,400 EUR | ![]() |
Fast Food Shift Supervisor | 26,000 EUR | ![]() |
Fine Dining Cook | 44,400 EUR | ![]() |
Fine Dining Restaurant Chef | 44,600 EUR | ![]() |
Fleet Manager | 74,500 EUR | ![]() |
Food and Beverage Manager | 59,600 EUR | ![]() |
Food Consultant | 47,800 EUR | ![]() |
Food Safety Coordinator | 34,400 EUR | ![]() |
Food Server | 15,500 EUR | ![]() |
Food Service Director | 56,800 EUR | ![]() |
Food Service Manager | 64,000 EUR | ![]() |
Food Service Sales | 35,700 EUR | ![]() |
Food Service Worker | 15,200 EUR | ![]() |
Front Desk Agent | 17,200 EUR | ![]() |
Front Office Manager | 33,900 EUR | ![]() |
Guest Service Executive | 52,000 EUR | ![]() |
Guest Service Representative | 21,100 EUR | ![]() |
Head Concierge | 23,800 EUR | ![]() |
Hospitality Director | 91,100 EUR | ![]() |
Hostess / Host | 18,500 EUR | ![]() |
Hotel Desk Clerk | 17,700 EUR | ![]() |
Hotel Maid | 13,000 EUR | ![]() |
Hotel Manager | 88,100 EUR | ![]() |
Hotel Sales Manager | 63,400 EUR | ![]() |
Hotel Service Supervisor | 48,300 EUR | ![]() |
Hotel Staff | 16,700 EUR | ![]() |
Inventory Coordinator | 19,100 EUR | ![]() |
Kitchen Manager | 28,600 EUR | ![]() |
Kitchen Staff | 16,900 EUR | ![]() |
Kitchen Supervisor | 27,200 EUR | ![]() |
Line Cook | 28,200 EUR | ![]() |
Luggage Porter | 12,400 EUR | ![]() |
Motel Manager | 49,400 EUR | ![]() |
Pastrycooking and Baking Assistant | 16,400 EUR | ![]() |
Production Operator | 24,400 EUR | ![]() |
Quality, Health and Safety Coordinator | 28,700 EUR | ![]() |
Receptionist | 17,100 EUR | ![]() |
Regional Restaurant Manager | 65,900 EUR | ![]() |
Restaurant Manager | 60,500 EUR | ![]() |
Room Reservations Manager | 58,300 EUR | ![]() |
Room Service Manager | 54,000 EUR | ![]() |
Sous Chef | 34,200 EUR | ![]() |
Supervisor of Food Services | 38,700 EUR | ![]() |
Tour Consultant | 45,100 EUR | ![]() |
Travel Agent | 31,300 EUR | ![]() |
Travel Consultant | 42,200 EUR | ![]() |
Waiter / Waitress | 15,200 EUR | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Bordeaux | 29,200 EUR |
Lille | 26,100 EUR |
Lyon | 32,600 EUR |
Marseille | 32,900 EUR |
Montpellier | 28,700 EUR |
Nantes | 28,700 EUR |
Nice | 29,000 EUR |
Paris | 33,500 EUR |
Strasbourg | 28,100 EUR |
Toulouse | 32,300 EUR |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in France earn 5% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 48,200 EUR | |
Public Sector | +5% | 50,700 EUR |