Direct kitchen operations, create menus, and lead culinary teams in restaurants and hotels. Median salary in Tampa: $69K/year. Data from BLS, O*NET, and H-1B disclosures.
Figures represent annual base salary in Tampa, Florida. Reviewed by SalaryOptics Editorial · How we calculate this →
Analysis derived from the salary, COL, tax, and labor-market figures above — specific to this role and city.
Florida has no state income tax, which is worth roughly $6,417 per year at this salary level compared to a California Executive Chef on the same gross pay. A Tampa Executive Chef would need to earn $76,075 in California to net the same take-home.
Average 1-bedroom rent in Tampa ($1,700/mo) consumes approximately 42% of an after-tax median Executive Chef salary. Financial planners typically recommend keeping housing under 30% of take-home — a salary at the 75th percentile ($94K) brings that ratio into a more comfortable range here.
Only 2% of Executive Chef positions offer remote flexibility, meaning the Tampa salary above represents what local employers actually pay — not a remote-anywhere rate. Geographic constraints reinforce the local market, so the salary range above is more directly applicable than for remote-friendly roles.
Based on BLS 2022–2032 Employment Projections and WEF Future of Jobs Report 2026. At current growth rates, median salary reaches $69K by 2030.
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The median Executive Chef salary in Tampa, FL is $69,000 per year as of Q1 2026. This figure represents the midpoint of all reported compensation for this role in the Tampa–FL metropolitan area, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics, H-1B visa disclosures from the Department of Labor, and O*NET occupational data.
Entry-level Executive Chefs in Tampa with 0–2 years of experience typically earn between $53,000 and $69,000 annually. Mid-career professionals with 3–7 years command $69,000 to $94,000, while senior-level practitioners with 8+ years of experience regularly earn $94,000 to $131,000 or more.
Tampa has a cost of living index of 102 compared to the US national average of 100. Living costs in Tampa are close to the national average. Crucially, Florida has no state income tax — giving Tampa-based Executive Chefs an immediate 3–5% take-home pay advantage over workers in states like California (9.3%) or New York (6.85%).
Culinary degree or apprenticeship. 2% of these roles offer some remote flexibility.