Alodia Gosiengfiao is a Filipina cosplayer that has millions of followers – over 1.4 million on Instagram alone. Gosiengfiao is a famous model, which is how she first started cosplaying. It wasn’t hard for her to jump over into portraying her favorite characters from games, anime, and movies.
Thanks to her clout as a model, her popularity grew exponentially. Now, many people refer to her as a cosplay queen. That makes total sense. Considering she makes $122,000 per year (according to Sotaku), we’re going to agree with this title.
Lindsay Elyse is incredibly well known, and one of the few cosplayers that makes it their job full time. That’s something we all dream about! Elyse was featured in an article by The Hustle, detailing how she went from doing it for fun to doing it as a full-time job.
Elyse makes around $122,000 per year being hired as a guest star, through product endorsements, and receiving fan donations. It isn’t all fun and games, however. This star spends over 60 hours a week perfecting her craft and making her own costumes.
Stella Chuu is one of the most outspoken cosplayers out there. Chuu started as a graphic designer but found love when she tried her hand at cosplaying. While she wouldn’t say exactly how much she makes, Chuu told CNBC that she earned a “six-figure salary” from her cosplaying.
Chuu now considers herself a fashion designer and states that it’s very difficult being a professional, full-time cosplayer since the pay isn’t constant. On the side, she charges to make costumes for other cosplayers and takes donations through her Patreon account. She accepts donations anywhere from $2 to $100 per month.
Maitland Ward is one of the top cosplayers out there. She started out her career playing Jessica in The Bold and the Beautiful. Soon after that, she portrayed Rachel in Boy Meets World. Once the show was over, she had to find other endeavors. She tried out acting, but it didn’t quite work out.
Instead, she found that cosplay was a much better option. Considering her physique, she quickly became one of the most popular cosplayers out there, selling her signed pictures for $30 or more a pop (depending on the picture). She mostly did it for fun, but she didn’t really start making money until she started her Snapchat account. Now she makes $62,000 per year doing porn.
You can’t mention cosplay and leave out Jessica Nigri. Nigri is one of the top cosplayers in the world, and one of the most sought after. If you combine her subscribers and followers on social media, she has over six million (a number that is rising rapidly).
Nigri is extremely skilled, and she makes some serious bank. Sotaku found that she makes approximately $255,000 just doing what she loves. Most of her designs revolve around games, but she also does a few comic and anime characters here and there. Her Patreon is also pretty active, with over 2,000 people donating anywhere from $1 to $150 each month.
Linda Le, aka Vampy Bit Me, is a pretty popular cosplayer that shows up at conventions around the world. She was taught to sew by her mother, and when she got bit by the cosplaying bug, she couldn’t stop.
Vampy hasn’t gone into detail about how much money she makes per se, but she has admitted that she can pull a five-figure salary for her appearances. Considering she’s shown up to more than 200 conventions in the last five years, that’s a pretty high salary.
Tom DePetrillo doesn’t mess around. He believes that you should go big or go home, made obvious by his giant, hulking costumes. Unlike some other cosplayers, DePetrillo chooses characters others would shy away from due to size. This includes Bumblebee from Transformers, Zord from Power Rangers, and Reinhardt from Overwatch.
It isn’t hard for DePetrillo to win competitions at conventions, and to make ends meet, he has his own company called Extreme Costumes. The company makes enormous costumes like the ones he wears, but they aren’t cheap! Sotaku stated that he makes $216,000 per year. Considering his costumes cost upwards of $60,000 – we believe it!
Yaya Han is an incredibly enthusiastic cosplayer, and that’s precisely why she’s so popular. Not only is she active on social media, but she also goes to tons of conventions. Pretty much anyone that knows cosplay knows her name. Much of that is because she was one of the main personalities from Heroes of the Cosplay reality TV show.
Sotaku states she makes approximately $102,000 per year, but all that could change. Han is starting her own line of cosplay-centric fabrics for other cosplayers to make costumes. This could skyrocket her net worth much higher, considering how big cosplaying is.
Jannet Vinogradova, aka Jannet Incosplay, has been called the queen of cosplay by some. She brings characters to life in a unique way, and her dedication shows. Vinogradova is a wig maker and creates cosplays in her spare time.
Vinogradova makes some money through commissions, making outfits for other cosplayers. She also makes a lot of money by selling her photos at conventions and through her Patreon. To hire her for a project, Vinogradova charges around $1,000 or more, depending on the project. Sotaku stated that this curvy cosplayer makes $189,000 per year.
If you bring up male cosplayers, Carlos Blanchard will definitely pop up. He’s one of the best male cosplayers in the industry. Blanchard has been a fan of dressing up for a long time, but his Medieval Batman suit shot him up in popularity. From there, his costumes have awed fans and other cosplayers alike.
Blanchard has his own company called Rage Custom Creations, where he and his team make costumes for other people. Needless to say, the items aren’t cheap. He also makes money at conventions and through photos. All in all, Blanchard can get around $108,000 per year, according to Sotaku.
Enako is one of Japan’s biggest cosplayers, and one of the top cosplayers in the world. Professional cosplayers are few and far between since most only do it for fun and don’t make enough money to support themselves. Enako definitely makes enough.
During an interview on Nakai No Mado, she made nearly $100,000 in just two days during Comiket, a biannual convention in Tokyo. The cosplayer went on to say she made between $2,900 and $3,900 per stage event and nearly $10,000 per month.
Amie Lynn didn’t know much about cosplay before graduating high school. In 2009, however, she and her friends went to Anime Expo, all dressed from Code Geass. From there, her world changed. She dove headfirst into the world of cosplay, but she focused on the fact that it was supposed to be a hobby (and fun).
Apparently, it’s a good thing to keep in mind. Lynn has tons of followers, and she streams on Facebook and Twitch regularly to raise money for herself and charities. If you add everything together, Sotaku found she makes $290,000 each year.
One of the newest cosplayers on the scene is Uramaru. She’s a Japanese cosplayer that dresses up in adorable cosplays from anime. Some people travel from all over Tokyo and spend hours working to get enough money to take a picture with her. How much does it cost?
The cosplayer admitted to making $100 per minute for photo sessions plus an additional $10 for two-shot checks, a photo with her and one other person. Since she isn’t incredibly active and mostly stays in Japan, she makes around $2,700 per month. Not as much as others, but definitely a nice amount!
Juan Carlos and Shema Arroyo are part of a group called TWIN cosplay. The two are from Mexico and made major headlines when they won the 2015 World Cosplay Summit by dressing up as characters from the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.
After winning, the pair became viral, gaining tons of followers in a short period of time. They love to mix up their costumes by dressing up as characters from games and anime. Sotaku stated they made $141,000 per year, but that doesn’t go a long way when you realize they have to travel the world for conventions.
Lyz Brickley has some amazing chops. She’s not afraid to be a little uncomfortable for her cosplays, and that includes wearing intense contacts. She’s a gamer, so she mostly dresses up as characters from her favorite titles. This includes Street Fighter, Diablo III, World of Warcraft, Thief, and many more.
Brickley cosplays for fun, so she honestly doesn’t make much money from it. However, the skills she’s learned through it has helped her open her own website and clothing line. She’s the owner of System Error, an online clothing store. The prices are pretty reasonable, and that’s where she makes most of her money.
This cosplayer is incredibly popular at conventions. Most of her cosplayers revolve around comic book characters or anime. McQueen began cosplaying in 1998 and has been featured in magazines, on MTV, and websites. She’s also been hired to appear as a guest at many cons in the U.S. and abroad.
While she did get money from her guest appearances, she’s made most of her money selling pictures and through Patreon. She has a healthy fanbase that donates anywhere from $1 to $200 per month. She also gets three Euro donations from time to time on Ko-Fi. McQueen sees cosplaying as a hobby first, not a career, so she has a job outside of it.
D-Piddy became famous through YouTube. One of his videos blew up and went viral, gaining millions of views. The name “D-Piddy” comes from one of his main cosplays, Deadpool. His personality fits the character just as well as Ryan Reynolds.
Unlike some other cosplayers, D-Piddy doesn’t make money going to conventions. Instead, he’s earned an $828,000 net worth just from his videos and photo autographs. Recently, he’s branched out, trying out other costumes from anime, comics, and games.
Spiral Cats is an all-female cosplay group from South Korea. They were formed in 2009 and now consist of five women. Because Tasha has been involved for so long, she’s unequivocally one of the most popular (and highest paid) members.
Tasha hasn’t commented on how much money she makes, but her Patreon is very active. She has 48 regular subscribers that donate anywhere from $1 to $175 per month. She also allows people to purchase her photoshoots for $7 to $35 each. We do know that Tasha makes enough money for cosplaying to be her full-time job.
Marie-Claude Bourbonnais is a Canadian model who transitioned into being a cosplayer and fashion designer. Cosplaying became an understandable jump, especially being hired as a Booth Babe. A booth babe is someone who gets hired because they’re pretty to sell or promote a brand or title.
Bourbonnais, aka MC, is best known for her large chest, which has become her trademark. Since she’s a professional, she makes a living cosplaying. Much of her money comes from illicit pictures, where she charges $20 for a single, signed picture.
Danquish doesn’t mess around when it comes to cosplay. He usually dresses head-to-toe in a variety of outfits. It’s to the point where many don’t know what he actually looks like. Because his costumes are so detailed, he gets a good amount of money from his appearances and fanbase.
According to Sotaku, Danquish makes around $178,000 per year. This includes all donations, appearances at conventions, and sales from photos and other souvenirs. While the pay isn’t consistent, we can say that $178,000 is quite the salary!
