Costume Attendants Salary
Costume Attendants in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA make a median of $43,620 a year, or about $20.97 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $64K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 111.89), so that salary is closer to $38,985 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $3,001/month, about 99.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $44K get you in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad’s Regional Price Parity (111.89). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About costume attendants
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What this looks like in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
Pay for costume attendants in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad runs about 13% below the U.S. median of $50K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $3,001/month, which is 99.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 12% above the national average (BEA RPP 111.89), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for costume attendantss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for costume attendants in metros near San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $107K | $94K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $59K | $51K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $40K | $37K |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $70K | $63K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Entry-level costume attendants (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $44K. Top earners bring in $64K or more, a $27K spread from bottom to top.
Costume Attendants pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Costume Attendants salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $95K | +89% | 950 |
| Georgia | $95K | +88% | 100 |
| California | $72K | +43% | 1,620 |
| Washington | $65K | +28% | 120 |
| Colorado | $58K | +15% | 40 |
| Hawaii | $58K | +14% | 30 |
| Nevada | $56K | +10% | 390 |
| Massachusetts | $55K | +10% | 90 |
| District of Columbia | $53K | +6% | 60 |
| Minnesota | $52K | +3% | 80 |
| Oregon | $52K | +3% | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $50K | -0% | 260 |
| Illinois | $49K | -2% | 140 |
| Utah | $48K | -5% | 140 |
| Virginia | $47K | -7% | 40 |
| Ohio | $46K | -8% | 160 |
| Tennessee | $45K | -10% | 50 |
| New Jersey | $45K | -11% | 100 |
| Connecticut | $45K | -12% | 60 |
| Missouri | $41K | -19% | 110 |
| Florida | $41K | -19% | 670 |
| Wisconsin | $38K | -24% | 160 |
| Arizona | $37K | -26% | 60 |
| Kentucky | $37K | -26% | 40 |
| Alabama | $36K | -29% | 50 |
| Indiana | $34K | -32% | 40 |
| North Carolina | $34K | -33% | 50 |
| South Carolina | $34K | -34% | 50 |
| Michigan | $32K | -37% | 80 |
| Texas | $28K | -44% | 550 |
Showing 1–10 of 30 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track costume attendants salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a costume attendant afford a 2BR apartment alone in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $44K, rent takes 99.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $3,001/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for costume attendants in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new costume attendants typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,224/month. At HUD’s $3,001/month FMR, rent would take 135% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is costume attendant a high-paying job in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
Local pay runs 13% below the national median — $44K here vs. $50K nationally.
How does San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad compare to the national average for costume attendants?
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad pays $44K median vs. the U.S. average of $50K — that’s -13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 111.89), the purchasing-power equivalent is $39K — below the national median.
How much do costume attendants make in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The median is $43,620 a year, that works out to about $21 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,070, and experienced costume attendants can clear $64,070. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $44K enough to live in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,014/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $3,001/month, which eats 99.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a costume attendants salary go in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad has a Regional Price Parity of 111.89 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median costume attendants salary is worth about $38,985 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do costume attendants get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.