Salary comparison
Cooks, Restaurant: Portland vs Santa Cruz
Portland, ME pays about 4.5% more for cooks, restaurant on paper — $46,560 vs $44,560. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Portland comes out ahead by $2,000 a year in real buying power.
Portland, ME
$46,560
$42,450
$48,660
$22.39
100
$46,560/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Cruz, CA
$44,560
$38,360
$47,200
$21.42
100
$44,560/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $2,000 a year (4.5%) in favor of Portland. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Portland runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Santa Cruz sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Portland is the better deal by $2,000 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Santa Cruz to Portland for this role, the raise needs to beat 4.5% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do cooks, restaurant earn more, Portland or Santa Cruz?
Portland pays $46,560 on median — about 4.5% more than Santa Cruz ($44,560). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Portland. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Portland gives you roughly$46,560 of real buying power versus $44,560 in the other city.