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How much does a kitchen assistant earn in Sweden?

Restaurant and kitchen helpers. 86,700 people employed in Sweden.

28,300SEK

per month is the median salary for a kitchen assistant in Sweden in 2025. That is 26% lower than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €2,500 / $2,900 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 22,985 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

The mean monthly salary for a kitchen assistant in Sweden is 28,300 SEK (2025). The median salary is 28,300 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 23,000 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 33,100 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
28,300 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
23,000 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
33,100 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
86,700
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among restaurant and kitchen helpers in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

23,000 SEKLowest 10%28,300 SEKMedian33,100 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 26,000–30,600 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What restaurant and kitchen helpers 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 28,300 SEK 28,300 SEK 28,500 SEK 28,100 SEK
Private sector 28,300 SEK 28,300 SEK 28,500 SEK 28,000 SEK
Public sector 28,400 SEK 28,300 SEK 28,000 SEK 28,400 SEK
Central government 32,700 SEK 33,000 SEK 33,500 SEK 32,600 SEK
Municipalities 28,100 SEK 28,100 SEK 27,500 SEK 28,200 SEK
Regions (health care) 29,100 SEK 29,200 SEK 28,700 SEK 29,400 SEK

Salary after tax

What restaurant and kitchen helpers 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 22,985 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 18–24 years, earn 26,500 SEK before tax — roughly 21,627 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 33,100 SEK, which is roughly 26,605 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a kitchen assistant

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 kitchen assistant

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 25,000 35,000 Median pay Number
Men 28,500 SEK 36,300
Women 28,100 SEK 50,300

Women's average salary is 98% 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 restaurant and kitchen helpers normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 25,000 35,000 Average pay Men Women Number
18–24 years 26,500 SEK 26,700 SEK 26,300 SEK 34,700
25–34 years 29,900 SEK 29,700 SEK 30,100 SEK 15,000
35–44 years 29,900 SEK 31,200 SEK 29,000 SEK 13,300
45–54 years 29,200 SEK 29,900 SEK 28,800 SEK 11,600
55–64 years 29,000 SEK 28,000 SEK 29,500 SEK 10,900

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 25,000 35,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Primary and secondary education less than 9 years (ISCED97 1) 28,300 SEK 28,500 SEK 27,800 SEK 4,800
Primary and secondary education 9-10 years (ISCED97 2) 26,400 SEK 27,200 SEK 25,800 SEK 14,600
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 28,800 SEK 29,400 SEK 28,500 SEK 14,000
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 28,100 SEK 28,000 SEK 28,200 SEK 33,400
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 29,900 SEK 30,100 SEK 29,900 SEK 9,600
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 30,000 SEK 30,700 SEK 29,400 SEK 5,700
No information about level of educational attainment 28,700 SEK 29,200 SEK 27,200 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 25,000 35,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 27,800 SEK 28,200 SEK 27,500 SEK 28,600
East-Central Sweden 29,000 SEK 29,600 SEK 28,600 SEK –
Småland and islands 28,300 SEK 28,000 SEK 28,400 SEK 5,300
South Sweden 27,900 SEK 28,000 SEK 27,900 SEK –
West Sweden 28,900 SEK 29,100 SEK 28,700 SEK 16,600
North-Central Sweden 27,800 SEK 28,600 SEK 27,600 SEK –
Central Norrland 28,500 SEK 27,800 SEK 29,100 SEK 2,500
Upper Norrland 29,200 SEK 28,800 SEK 29,400 SEK –

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 21,500 SEK in 2014 to 28,300 SEK in 2025, +32% 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 9412, “restaurang- och köksbiträden m.fl.”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Bambatant
  • Barbiträde
  • Bespisningsbiträde
  • Buffébiträde
  • Cateringassistent, ekonomibiträde
  • Cateringvärd, servitör
  • Diskare
  • Diskplockare
  • Ekonomibiträde, fartyg
  • Ekonomibiträde, skola
  • Ekonomibiträde, storhushåll
  • Frukostbiträde
  • Frukostvärd
  • Frukostvärdinna
  • Kaffekokare
  • Kallskänksbiträde
  • Kockbiträde
  • Köksbiträde
  • Laboratoriediskare
  • Lunchrumsbiträde
  • Marketenteribiträde
  • Matsalsbiträde
  • Matsalsvärd
  • Matsalsvärdinna
  • Måltidsvakt
  • Mässkalle
  • Pentrybiträde
  • Restaurangbiträde
  • Serveringsbiträde
  • Skolköksbiträde
  • Skolmåltidsbiträde
  • Smörgåsberedare
  • Smörgåsnisse
  • Spisbiträde

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a kitchen assistant in Sweden?

The median salary for a kitchen assistant in Sweden is 28,300 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 restaurant and kitchen helpers sit 26% lower than the typical job.

How much does a kitchen assistant earn after tax?

The median salary for a kitchen assistant is 28,300 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 22,985 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 restaurant and kitchen helpers?

The average (28,300 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (28,300 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what restaurant and kitchen helpers typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a kitchen assistant in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: restaurant and kitchen helpers aged 18–24 years earn 26,500 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 23,000 SEK.

How high can the salary go for restaurant and kitchen helpers?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 33,100 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 restaurant and kitchen helpers in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 98% of men's in this job. The median salary is 28,500 SEK for men and 28,100 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a kitchen assistant earn the most?

Pay is highest in Upper Norrland, where restaurant and kitchen helpers earn 29,200 SEK per month on average.

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