What does a head chef or sole chef earn by yacht size?
Northrop & Johnson's 2026 guide pays the head or sole chef by yacht length. Under 30m the range is US$5,000-6,000 a month. It climbs to US$6,000-9,000 at 30-40m and US$8,000-11,000 at 40-50m. At 50-60m it is US$10,000-13,000, and at 60-80m US$10,000-15,000. From 80m upwards the guide prints US$15,000 and up, with no ceiling. The chef is one of the best paid heads of department on board, and on yachts of 80m and over the top of the range matches the chief engineer.
YPI Crew's 2026 chef guide prices the same posts in euros. Its head and sole chef range runs from €4,500-6,000 a month under 30m to €9,000+ at 80-100m and €10,000+ on 100m yachts. Some low ends carry a mark: on smaller yachts the bottom figure applies to chefs new to yachting, and at 50-60m it applies to a rotational post. Read the two guides side by side and treat them as a range for negotiation. Neither is a fixed scale.
Sous chef and third chef pay
A sous chef appears from about 40m. Northrop & Johnson gives US$5,000-7,000 a month at 40-50m, US$5,000-8,000 at 50-60m, US$7,000-9,000 at 60-80m and US$9,000+ on yachts of 80m and over. YPI Crew runs from €4,000-5,000 at 40-50m to €6,000+ at 80m and over. YPI marks its 40-50m upper figure as a combined cook and stew or cook and deck post.
A third chef is a big-yacht post. Both guides list it only on yachts of 80m and over. Northrop & Johnson gives US$5,000+ a month, and YPI Crew gives €4,500-5,500 on 2:2 rotation. YPI also places crew chefs, though neither guide prints a figure for that post, so none is given here.
What moves a chef's pay?
Size sets the band, but recruiters say it does not settle the number. Writing for Superyacht Content, Montclair Chef says the old rule of paying by length is outdated. Its example: a sole chef cooking alone for 12 guests and 12 crew on a 50m yacht may earn about the same as a head chef on an 80m yacht with a sous chef and a crew chef in support. Galley size and workload both count.
The same article lists further factors. Busy charter yachts usually pay more. Remote cruising grounds, where fresh produce has to be flown in, make the job harder and justify a higher rate than a yacht based near Antibes suppliers. Guest expectations count too. Then there is the package: how much leave comes with the post and whether it is rotational. A chef weighing two offers should price the time off as well as the monthly figure.
Rotation and the rest of the package
YPI Crew says structured 2:2 rotation has become the standard expectation for experienced yacht chefs in 2026, at every level of the galley. Its tables show 2:2 or non-rotational posts from 40m, and 2:2 rotation as the norm at 100m and over. Under 30m, head and sole chef posts are listed as non-rotational. YPI adds that senior chefs now often choose a post on work-life balance and a well-run crew culture as much as on pay.
Earlier trade reporting is more cautious. Montclair Chef wrote in early 2025 that full rotation was still rare for chefs and that some captains offered 30-60 extra days of leave instead. When you compare offers, ask three things: the monthly figure, the leave or rotation pattern, and whether rotation pay is the same rate as a permanent post. A lower rate on rotation can still be the better job.
Pay
USD a month. Figures from the Northrop & Johnson 2026 Yacht Crew Salary Guide, in US dollars a month; YPI Crew 2026 euro figures are compared in the text. Yacht size and experience move the figure, as do charter use, galley team and rotation. Refer to the head chef and sole chef pay page for pay by yacht size.
What you need
- Ship's cook certificateUnder MCA notice MSN 1846, a ship operating beyond 60 miles from a safe haven with 10 or more seafarers on board must carry a qualified ship's cook. The test is crew numbers, not yacht size: MSN 1846 says the rule is not based on tonnage, so any UK commercial yacht that meets both conditions must carry a qualified ship's cook.
- Who can hold itThe UK ship's cook certificate of competency is open from age 18. The applicant needs at least one month of seagoing service in any capacity, plus the set training.
- Assessment is not the certificateSuperyachtNews notes that passing the marine cookery assessment is one part of the process. Chefs should not list the assessment on a CV as the full certificate.
- What YPI expects of head chefsYPI Crew marks the lowest head chef figures on yachts under 40m as rates for chefs new to yachting, and says head chef candidates at the mid and upper end of the market are expected to cook a broad range of cuisines.
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Questions people ask
How much does a sole chef earn on a small yacht?
Northrop & Johnson's 2026 guide gives US$5,000-6,000 a month under 30m and US$6,000-9,000 at 30-40m. YPI Crew gives €4,500-6,000 under 30m, with the low end for chefs new to yachting.
Do bigger yachts always pay chefs more?
The bands rise with length, but Montclair Chef, writing in Superyacht Content, says length alone no longer sets pay. A sole chef cooking alone on a busy 50m yacht can earn about what a head chef with a team earns on an 80m yacht.
Is rotation common for yacht chefs?
YPI Crew says 2:2 rotation is now the standard expectation for experienced chefs in 2026, and its tables show 2:2 rotation as the norm at 100m and over. Posts under 30m are listed as non-rotational.
What do freelance yacht chefs charge a day?
Montclair Chef's 2025 figures in Superyacht Content put a sole chef below 40m at €230-350 a day and a head chef above 60m at €500-1,200 a day. These are recruiter figures from job posts, not a fixed scale.
Do I need a ship's cook certificate to work as a yacht chef?
You do if the yacht operates beyond 60 miles from a safe haven and has 10 or more seafarers on board, under MCA notice MSN 1846. The rule turns on crew numbers, not tonnage, so a yacht with fewer than 10 seafarers falls outside it.
Sources
- Northrop & Johnson: 2026 Yacht Crew Salary Guide (US dollars)
- YPI Crew: Superyacht Chef Salary Guide 2026
- Superyacht Content: Yacht chef salaries in 2025, rotational contracts and pay rises
- GOV.UK (Maritime and Coastguard Agency): MSN 1846 (M) Amendment 1, ship's cooks and catering staff
- GOV.UK (Maritime and Coastguard Agency): How to apply for a ships' cook certificate of competency
- SuperyachtNews: Clarification on MCA's Ships' Cook Certificate
