Home Costume Maker Salary
Costume Maker salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a costume maker is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,900 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Where you work shapes the rate more than anything else, with film and television productions and large performing arts companies usually paying more than small theatre and costume hire.
- Rates are often set per production or per week under an enterprise agreement, costume houses tend to pay hourly, and freelance makers carry the cost of quoting, sourcing and admin time between jobs.
The median salary rose by $13,900 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than costume maker
The largest typical pay rise is $13,000 a year, moving into Textile Designer.
- Textile Designer+$13,000/yr
- Costume Designer+$5,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher costume maker salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time costume maker salary is $65,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Craft and handmade production and Visual design tend to command a premium over general costume maker experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Textile Designer pays a typical $13,000 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Costume Maker salary questions
How much do costume makers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a costume maker is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is costume maker pay rising or falling?
The median costume maker salary is up $13,900 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than costume maker?
Textile Designer pays a typical $13,000 a year more and draws on similar skills to costume maker.
Related salaries
- Costume Designer salary
- Textile Designer salary
- Clothing Patternmaker salary
- Milliner salary
- Sewing Machinist salary
- Tailor salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.