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How much does a chef earn in Sweden?

Cooks and cold-buffet managers. 41,600 people employed in Sweden.

32,200SEK

per month is the median salary for a chef in Sweden in 2025. That is 16% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €2,850 / $3,300 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 25,926 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

A chef earns 32,800 SEK per month on average in Sweden (2025). The median salary is 32,200 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 28,600 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 37,400 SEK.

Figures are gross monthly salary before tax, converted to full time. Income tax in Sweden is roughly 30–34% for most earners, plus a national surtax on income above about 51,000 SEK a month.

Average pay
32,800 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
28,600 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
37,400 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
41,600
In this job in Sweden

Chefs and cooks, including cold-buffet staff (kallskänkor), prepare food in restaurants and hotels, in catering kitchens and in public-sector kitchens serving schools, preschools and care homes. The usual training is the restaurant management and food programme at upper secondary school or equivalent adult education, although many learn the trade on the job. Employers range from private restaurants to municipalities and regions. Pay varies with the type of kitchen, employer and experience; head chefs and sous-chefs are counted as a separate occupation.

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among cooks and cold-buffet managers in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

28,600 SEKLowest 10%32,200 SEKMedian37,400 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 30,200–34,800 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What cooks and cold-buffet managers earn depends a great deal on who the employer is.

Monthly salary by sector and gender
Sector Average pay Median pay Men Women
All sectors 32,800 SEK 32,200 SEK 32,900 SEK 31,500 SEK
Private sector 33,200 SEK 32,500 SEK 33,200 SEK 30,700 SEK
Public sector 32,100 SEK 31,900 SEK 32,300 SEK 31,800 SEK
Central government 36,700 SEK 37,000 SEK 38,000 SEK 35,100 SEK
Municipalities 32,100 SEK 31,800 SEK 32,300 SEK 31,700 SEK
Regions (health care) 33,100 SEK 33,000 SEK 32,800 SEK 33,000 SEK

Salary after tax

What cooks and cold-buffet managers actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. Between the cheapest and the most expensive one the difference is several hundred kronor a month.

That is roughly 25,926 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 30,600 SEK before tax — roughly 24,720 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 37,400 SEK, which is roughly 29,849 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a chef

The figures assume an average municipality, no church fee and an age under 66. The calculator takes your own municipality into account.

And if the job goes? Work out unemployment benefit for a chef

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 27,500 37,500 Median pay Number
Men 32,900 SEK 22,300
Women 31,500 SEK 19,300

Women's average salary is 95% of men's average salary in this job.

Statistics Sweden calculates the ratio on average monthly salary, while the table above shows median salaries, so the two do not line up exactly. The figure is also unadjusted: it does not account for differences in age, sector or position.

Pay by age

Pay for cooks and cold-buffet managers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 27,500 37,500 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 30,600 SEK 30,900 SEK 30,000 SEK –
25–34 years 32,600 SEK 33,300 SEK 31,100 SEK 7,200
35–44 years 33,200 SEK 34,000 SEK 32,000 SEK 11,400
45–54 years 33,200 SEK 34,000 SEK 32,400 SEK 10,200
55–64 years 32,700 SEK 34,700 SEK 32,000 SEK 8,500

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 27,500 37,500 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education less than 9 years (ISCED97 1) 32,500 SEK 31,900 SEK 33,400 SEK –
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 34,300 SEK 36,200 SEK 31,300 SEK 3,200
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 32,300 SEK 32,900 SEK 31,700 SEK 11,100
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 32,900 SEK 33,600 SEK 32,100 SEK 16,400
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 32,900 SEK 33,400 SEK 32,100 SEK 5,600
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 32,100 SEK 33,500 SEK 30,700 SEK 2,800
No information about level of educational attainment 33,300 SEK – – –

Pay by region

Statistics Sweden reports pay by job at the level of national areas (NUTS 2), not by county.

Monthly salary by region
Region 27,500 37,500 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 34,100 SEK 34,400 SEK 33,100 SEK 10,700
East-Central Sweden 31,900 SEK 32,700 SEK 31,300 SEK 4,600
Småland and islands 32,300 SEK 33,500 SEK 31,600 SEK –
South Sweden 33,100 SEK 33,900 SEK 31,900 SEK 8,100
West Sweden 32,600 SEK 33,400 SEK 32,000 SEK 7,300
North-Central Sweden 31,600 SEK 31,000 SEK 32,000 SEK –
Central Norrland 30,900 SEK 31,300 SEK 30,400 SEK –
Upper Norrland 31,900 SEK 32,800 SEK 31,500 SEK 1,500

Pay growth 2014–2025

Median salary per year. Years with no reported median are skipped. The dashed line marks the break between the older and the newer series at Statistics Sweden; comparisons across it should be made with care.

From 24,000 SEK in 2014 to 32,200 SEK in 2025, +34% in total. Nominal figures, not adjusted for inflation. The lighter part of the line, the years before 2023, comes from an older set of statistics at Statistics Sweden and is not fully comparable with the later years.

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Swedish job titles in this occupation

Statistics Sweden files the following Swedish job titles under SSYK 5120, “kockar och kallskänkor”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Cateringarbetare, matlagning
  • Dietkock
  • Dietkokerska
  • Grillkock, hotell, restaurang, storhushåll
  • Kallskänka
  • Kinakock
  • Kock, á la carte
  • Kock, storhushåll
  • Kocka
  • Kocksteward
  • Kokerska
  • Lunchkock
  • Personalkock
  • Skeppskock
  • Specialkock
  • Steward, kock

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a chef in Sweden?

The median salary for a chef in Sweden is 32,200 SEK per month before tax (2025). That means half earn less and half earn more. The median across all jobs in Sweden is 38,300 SEK, so cooks and cold-buffet managers sit 16% lower than the typical job.

How much does a chef earn after tax?

The median salary for a chef is 32,200 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 25,926 SEK after tax. The exact figure depends on which municipality you live in — our salary-after-tax calculator works it out.

What is the difference between average and median pay for cooks and cold-buffet managers?

The average (32,800 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (32,200 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what cooks and cold-buffet managers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a chef in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: cooks and cold-buffet managers aged 18–24 years earn 30,600 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 28,600 SEK.

How high can the salary go for cooks and cold-buffet managers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 37,400 SEK per month. Pay is shaped by sector, experience, level of education and where in the country you work.

Is there a gender pay gap among cooks and cold-buffet managers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 95% of men's in this job. The median salary is 32,900 SEK for men and 31,500 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a chef earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where cooks and cold-buffet managers earn 34,100 SEK per month on average.

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