Average Culinary Associate Salary in Papua New Guinea for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Culinary Associate salary for 2026 in Papua New Guinea and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Papua New Guinean kina. To keep things simple, we are using the PGK currency code instead of the currency symbol K.

How Much Does a Culinary Associate Make in Papua New Guinea?

A Culinary Associate working in Papua New Guinea will typically earn around 13,900 PGK per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 6,080 PGK to the highest average salary of 21,020 PGK.

Average Annual Salary13,900 PGK
Average Monthly Salary1,158 PGK
Average Lowest Salary6,080 PGK
Lowest Monthly Salary506 PGK
Average Highest Salary21,020 PGK
Highest Monthly Salary1,751 PGK

These are average salaries for a Culinary Associate in Papua New Guinea and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Culinary Associate to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Culinary Associate salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Culinary Associate Salaries in Papua New Guinea

So we've looked at the average salaries a Culinary Associate will earn in Papua New Guinea. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Culinary Associate can earn between 6,080 PGK and 21,020 PGK on average in Papua New Guinea. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Culinary Associate in Papua New Guinea is 14,540 PGK. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 14,540 PGK, and 50% of the population earn more than 14,540 PGK.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Culinary Associate salary in Papua New Guinea, 25% of the population are earning less than 7,800 PGK while 75% of the population earn more than 7,800 PGK.

75% of the population earn less than 18,780 PGK, and 25% of the population earn more than 18,780 PGK.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Culinary Associate Salary by Experience Level in Papua New Guinea

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Culinary Associate salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Culinary Associate in Papua New Guinea that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 6,280 PGK.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Culinary Associate salary would increase to 9,140 PGK.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Culinary Associate, the average salary would be 13,960 PGK.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 15,300 PGK.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Culinary Associate with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 19,200 PGK.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Culinary Associate with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 18,900 PGK.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
6,280 PGK
2-5 Years+29%
9,140 PGK
5-10 Years+38%
13,960 PGK
10-15 Years+24%
15,300 PGK
15-20 Years+7%
19,200 PGK
20+ Years+7%
18,900 PGK

Culinary Associate Salary by Education Level in Papua New Guinea

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Culinary Associate in Papua New Guinea based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Culinary Associate in Papua New Guinea with a high school education can earn an average salary of 12,300 PGK.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Culinary Associate in Papua New Guinea with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 18,780 PGK.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
12,300 PGK
Certificate or Diploma+65%
18,780 PGK

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Papua New Guinea is around 20,500 to 61,600 PGK and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Culinary Associate Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Papua New Guinea, a male culinary associate will earn an average of 11,880 PGK, while a female culinary associate will earn around 13,060 PGK.

This means that a male culinary associate earns approximately 9% less than a female culinary associate for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Papua New Guinea

Male-
11,880 PGK
Female+9%
13,060 PGK

Culinary Associate Average Pay Raise in Papua New Guinea

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Culinary Associate in Papua New Guinea is around 6% every 28 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Papua New Guinea is around 5% every 28 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 6 ÷ 28 ) × 12  = 3%

What this means is that a Culinary Associate in Papua New Guinea can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 3% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Papua New Guinea for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Papua New Guinea.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
6%
Energy-
3%
Information Technology-
9%
Healthcare-
6%
Travel-
3%
Construction-
9%
Education-
6%

Culinary Associate Bonus and Incentive Rates in Papua New Guinea

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Culinary Associate is a low bonus based job, with 12% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

88% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus-
12%
No Bonus-
88%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Papua New Guinea earn approximately 21% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
53,120 PGK
Private Sector-21%
43,760 PGK

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Culinary Associate

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Culinary Associate in Papua New Guinea.

Job TitleCategorySalary
All RounderFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering19,480 PGK
Assistant Executive HousekeeperFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering17,020 PGK
Assistant Food and Beverage ControllerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering29,040 PGK
Assistant Food and Beverage DirectorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering58,800 PGK
Assistant Hospitality ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering65,760 PGK
Assistant StorekeeperFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering12,120 PGK
Assistant Tour ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering30,700 PGK
Baker and PastrycookFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering16,720 PGK
Bakery ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering37,740 PGK
Bakery SuperintendentFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering24,820 PGK
Banquet CaptainFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering19,360 PGK
Banquet ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering25,220 PGK
Banquet ServerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering14,660 PGK
Bar AttendantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering16,400 PGK
Bar ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering34,540 PGK
Bar SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering21,980 PGK
BaristaFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering20,120 PGK
BartenderFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering20,300 PGK
BellmanFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering14,200 PGK
Beverage ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering36,020 PGK
Bistro AttendantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering17,620 PGK
Buffet ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering28,680 PGK
Buffet HostFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering15,760 PGK
Buffet ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering35,340 PGK
Butcher and SlaughtererFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering10,980 PGK
Cafeteria AssistantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering15,760 PGK
Cafeteria ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering31,080 PGK
Cafeteria SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering22,540 PGK
Cake DecoratorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering17,760 PGK
Casino Shift ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering55,220 PGK
Chain Store Customer SupportFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering25,940 PGK
ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering30,840 PGK
Chef De CuisineFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering42,320 PGK
Club ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering58,280 PGK
Cluster DirectorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering72,420 PGK
Cluster Revenue ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering53,320 PGK
Cocktail ServerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering17,020 PGK
Coffee Shop ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering55,840 PGK
ConciergeFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering14,200 PGK
Confectionery BakerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering16,140 PGK
Conference Services ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering34,380 PGK
Conference and Sales CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering27,020 PGK
CookFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering25,160 PGK
Corporate Sous ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering40,040 PGK
Corporate Travel ConsultantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering43,520 PGK
CroupierFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering21,400 PGK
Culinary AssistantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering13,960 PGK
Demi ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering31,660 PGK
Dietary AideFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering31,540 PGK
Dining Room SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering27,620 PGK
DishwasherFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering12,200 PGK
Duty ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering38,140 PGK
Events CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering22,400 PGK
Executive ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering35,300 PGK
Executive Pastry ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering26,660 PGK
Fast Food CookFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering22,400 PGK
Fast Food Shift SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering26,080 PGK
Fine Dining CookFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering46,840 PGK
Fine Dining Restaurant ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering42,320 PGK
Fleet ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering72,380 PGK
Food ConsultantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering44,540 PGK
Food Safety CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering34,280 PGK
Food ServerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering17,260 PGK
Food Service DirectorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering55,840 PGK
Food Service ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering66,020 PGK
Food Service SalesFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering36,940 PGK
Food Service WorkerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering14,540 PGK
Food and Beverage ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering55,840 PGK
Front Desk AgentFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering19,220 PGK
Front Desk ClerkFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering16,340 PGK
Front Office ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering31,520 PGK
Guest Service ExecutiveFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering50,580 PGK
Guest Service RepresentativeFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering20,940 PGK
Head Chef Food / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering34,360 PGK
Head ConciergeFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering22,400 PGK
Hospitality DirectorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering92,720 PGK
Hostess / HostFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering19,200 PGK
Hotel Desk ClerkFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering18,780 PGK
Hotel MaidFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering13,060 PGK
Hotel ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering86,760 PGK
Hotel Sales ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering67,300 PGK
Hotel Service SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering47,760 PGK
Hotel StaffFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering14,820 PGK
Inventory CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering19,480 PGK
Kitchen ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering29,640 PGK
Kitchen StaffFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering16,880 PGK
Kitchen SupervisorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering24,860 PGK
Line CookFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering26,100 PGK
Luggage PorterFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering12,620 PGK
Motel ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering48,200 PGK
Pastry ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering23,700 PGK
Pastrycooking and Baking AssistantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering16,340 PGK
Production OperatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering23,360 PGK
Quality, Health and Safety CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering26,500 PGK
ReceptionistFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering19,640 PGK
Regional Restaurant ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering68,580 PGK
Restaurant ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering55,580 PGK
Restaurant ServerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering17,100 PGK
Room Reservations ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering57,820 PGK
Room Service ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering55,940 PGK
Sous ChefFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering34,080 PGK
Special Events CoordinatorFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering37,740 PGK
Supervisor of Food ServicesFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering40,420 PGK
Tour ConsultantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering42,400 PGK
Tour GuideFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering30,800 PGK
Tour ManagerFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering36,720 PGK
Travel AgentFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering31,340 PGK
Travel ConsultantFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering44,180 PGK
Waiter / WaitressFood / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering14,540 PGK

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