How much does a personal chef cost in New York City?

What weekly meal prep costs in NYC

Most of the cost comes down to how many meals you need each week. Here’s how our New York City plans break down:

Larger plans can be split across two visits a week. Plans are booked in 4-week sessions, with a one-time trial available. Your exact plan and price come from our two-minute Find My Plan quiz.

Cooking in a New York kitchen

• Small kitchens are fine. Your chef plans the cook around your space and portions meals into containers that fit a city fridge.
• Your chef brings their own knives and essentials. If a dish needs specialty equipment, we’ll let you know ahead of time.
• Building access, handled. We coordinate with your doorman or service elevator, and if your building asks for a certificate of insurance, we’ll send one.
• Groceries come with your chef. Your chef shops the morning of service and brings everything up.

What you’re paying for (and what you’re not)

• A custom menu built around your diet and goals, approved by you before every cook day
• Grocery shopping the morning of service
• Cooking from scratch in your kitchen, so nothing is frozen, shipped or reheated
• Portioning and labeling with reheating notes
• Full kitchen cleanup before your chef leaves
• The same vetted chef every week, background-checked and insured

Billed separately: groceries, at exact cost with an itemized receipt. Not included: delivery, because your chef cooks in your home.

What drives the price of a personal chef

1. How many meals you need. The biggest factor. More entrees and portions mean more cooking time.
2. One visit or two. A second weekly visit keeps meals fresher late in the week and costs more.
3. Specialized diets. Allergies and everyday preferences like gluten-free, dairy-free or vegetarian are built into your menu at no extra cost. Custom macro targets, or a diet that takes significantly more prep time, can add to the price, and we’ll tell you upfront.
4. Ingredients. Organic, grass-fed or specialty proteins raise the grocery bill, not the service fee.
5. Hourly vs. package pricing. Some New York City chefs bill by the hour, plus time for shopping and cleanup. A package keeps your weekly cost predictable.

Personal chef costs in New York City, compared

Most personal chef companies in New York City don’t publish their prices. We do, so you can compare before you call. Here’s how the options stack up, based on the published rates we could find:

Market figures come from published rates and the sources below, and change often. Our prices are current as of October 2026.

Is a personal chef worth the cost?

The real comparison isn’t another meal service. It’s your time. Planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning up for a week of healthy meals easily takes 6 to 10 hours. A personal chef gives those hours back, along with meals built around exactly how you eat, which is hard to get from takeout or delivery.

How to choose a personal chef in New York City

• Are chefs background-checked and insured?
• Are groceries billed at cost, or marked up?
• Will you have the same chef every week?
• Do you approve the menu before every cook day?
• Is there a trial before you commit?

Where we cook in New York City

Our New York City chefs serve the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Tribeca, SoHo, West Village, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Midtown, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Williamsburg and Long Island City. See our New York City personal chef service for details.

Sources for market figures: Published rates from New York City personal and private chefs, October 2026 · Take a Chef · Orbyt, New York · Lighthouse Careers. See also our New York City personal chef service and New Jersey personal chef service.