Private Chefs of Billionaires: How Much They Cost
Written by
Laura Beck
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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Most unsurprising fact ever: The ultra-wealthy don’t cook for themselves. They hire private chefs who follow them around the world, stock their pantries with ingredients most people have never heard of and make multiple meals a day without ever asking what the boss wants to eat.
It’s a strange, secretive job that comes with serious money and even stranger demands. From live lions at weddings to mandatory Fillico Jewelry Water deliveries, here’s what it actually costs to have someone cook your meals when price isn’t a concern.
The Price Tag Ranges From Comfortable to Obscene
Private chef salaries vary wildly depending on who’s writing the checks and where they’re doing the cooking.
In the Hamptons, salaries range from $70,000 on the low end to $500,000 for top-tier chefs. Across the United States, most private chefs earn between $100,000 and $300,000 annually.
In high-demand markets like Dubai and Monaco, chefs can pull in $120,000 to $300,000 per year. Yacht chefs working on superyachts typically earn between $100,000 and $250,000, plus bonuses and travel expenses.
The top-earning private chefs can make $200,000 to $300,000 per year, plus benefits, bonuses and vacation time. When you factor in room and board for live-in positions, total compensation packages can hit $150,000 to $200,000, even if pay is lower.
Some chefs work on daily rates instead of annual salaries. Those rates run anywhere from $500 to $1,200 per day, depending on experience and what the client needs.
What Billionaires Actually Spend on Food
Beyond the chef’s salary, there’s the cost of ingredients. For wealthy families, monthly food spending through a private chef can run between $2,400 and $3,200. That covers menu planning, grocery shopping, meal preparation and cleanup.
At this price point, white truffles and caviar can get ordered without anyone asking the price. Must be nice!
The Perks and the Trade-Offs
The money is good, but private chefs pay for it in other ways. One anonymous chef who worked 14 years for a multimillionaire family spends five months every year in Florida, separated from his wife when the family relocates for the winter.
The upside? He gets to meet hedge fund managers, politicians and famous people. He’s seen how people live when they make a half-billion dollars a year. And he’s learned something most people never figure out: Past a certain point, more money doesn’t make people happier.
Other chefs get to travel the world on private jets, stay in five-star hotels and work in borrowed corners of industrial kitchens when their employers vacation in exotic locations. Some get free housing in guest rooms or coach houses.
But the job also means working alone for long stretches, dealing with last-minute demands and navigating awkward class dynamics. One chef described being told by his employer after a dinner party that a guest thought he was overstepping by joining a political discussion.
You Don’t Even Need Culinary School
Rob Li, a viral TikTok chef who works in the Hamptons, is completely self-taught. He has no traditional culinary training or restaurant experience. He learned by watching cooking videos online.
His typical workday, which includes cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for clients, runs about three to four hours, though that varies depending on how many guests show up and how complicated the meals get. His schedule has to bend around whenever his clients text to say they’ll be at the house.
The job isn’t all glamour, though. His least favorite part is the cleaning, and he wishes more people understood how much work the job actually involves behind the scenes.
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