Private Chef Salary 2026: UK, US and Europe
What a private private chef earns in 2026 in the UK, US, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the UAE, with the source for every figure.
How much does a private chef earn?
A private private chef earns £65,000 to £200,000 a year in the UK and $100,000 to $310,000 and above a year in the US, according to published 2026 salary guides. Pay varies by household size, location and experience.
Private Chef Salary 2026: UK, US and Europe
A private private chef earns £65,000 to £200,000 a year in the UK and $100,000 to $310,000 and above a year in the US, according to published 2026 salary guides. Pay differs a lot by country, so the figures below are shown country by country. They are gross annual salaries in each country’s own currency and are not converted.
Private Chef salary by country
| Country | Gross salary a year | Published guides |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | £65,000 to £200,000 | 2 published guides |
| United States | $100,000 to $310,000 and above | 3 published guides |
| Switzerland | CHF 110,000 to CHF 130,000 | 1 published guide |
| Monaco | €90,000 to €110,000 | 1 published guide |
| France | €45,000 to €60,000 | 1 published guide |
| United Arab Emirates | AED 180,000 to AED 360,000 | 1 published guide |
The UK and US ranges run from the lowest minimum to the highest maximum reported by the published guides, so they span smaller households to larger ones. Switzerland, Monaco, France and the UAE come from a single published guide.
What the sources say
- One guide reports head chefs for principal households with daily service and entertaining at £110,000 to £190,000 and above in the UK.
- One guide puts the median resident private chef in the US at $150,000 (middle half $100,000 to $235,000) and the median travelling chef at $200,000 (middle half $140,000 to $310,000). It reports resident chefs in New York and the Hamptons at $130,000 to $250,000 and above.
What affects private chef pay
- Daily service versus occasional entertaining
- Formal training and previous households
- Travel with the family, which is paid above resident roles
- Dietary and cuisine specialisation
Benefits such as accommodation, health insurance, bonuses and travel are separate from base salary, and some roles include them.
About these figures
These are published benchmarks, not Lighthouse Careers placement data. They come from published 2026 salary guides, which use different methods, and pay depends on the household, location and experience. Check the latest figures with a specialist agency before setting a budget.
Our 2026 salary report sets these ranges beside yacht crew pay and lets you download the data.
Hiring a private chef?
Tell us the role and we send a shortlist of vetted, reference-checked candidates within 24 hours. There are no upfront fees. Read how we recruit on our private chef recruitment page, or see our household staffing agency and personal assistant agency pages.
We place household staff in cities including London, Dubai, Monaco, Geneva, New York.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a private chef earn in the UK? £65,000 to £200,000 a year, according to published 2026 guides.
How much does a private chef earn in the US? $100,000 to $310,000 and above a year, according to published 2026 guides.
Why are the ranges so wide? Households differ in size, the number of properties and the scope of the role. Each range runs from a smaller household to a larger one.
Are UK and US salaries comparable? Not directly. They are in different currencies and different markets, and the sources report US salaries above UK salaries for most household roles.