How much ‘Stranger Things’ cast allegedly made per episode in final season

Reports say ‘Stranger Things’ biggest stars earned up to $1.2 million per episode in season 5, Netflix splashed out

As Stranger Things gears up for its highly anticipated fifth and final season, the cast is reportedly cashing in like never before. According to Cosmopolitan, there’s been a serious pay hike, with top-tier actors reportedly earning between $350,000 and $1.2 million per episode.

Veteran stars Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers) and David Harbour (Jim Hopper) stand at the top of that pay scale. Reports suggest they will each make about $1,187,500 per episode, adding up to roughly $9.5 million for the season, a massive leap from their earlier pay rates. Meanwhile, the younger Hawkins crew, including names like Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp, supposedly fall into a different pay tier. According to multiple sources, they are set to earn $875,000 per episode, which works out to just over $7 million for the season.

As for Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), things are a little more opaque. The Cosmopolitan article notes she has a “special deal” and her pay isn’t neatly tied into the show’s standard tiers. Other reports suggest her per‑episode rate is somewhere between $250,000 and $350,000, thanks to a long-term Netflix contract.

This surge in salaries is not just about being a big TV hit, it’s also tied to the scale of Season 5. With just eight episodes planned, the total pay pool is much more concentrated, raising the per-episode checks significantly.

Some industry observers view this as Netflix rewarding its actors for sticking with the show through thick and thin. Others are pointing to the massive production budget: Season 5 is said to cost well over $9 million per episode, which allows for such steep pay.

But the numbers have sparked debate. On social media, fans and entertainment commentators are arguing whether it’s justified for the older cast to be making more than a million dollars an episode. Some say it’s overdue; others wonder how this level of pay changes the show’s creative stakes.

Whether these reports are exact or not, one thing is clear: Netflix is pulling out all the stops to make the final season feel epic, on screen and off.