The $500,000 to $700,000 Range
Jacob Elordi's season 3 pay is reported as a range because the outlets do not agree. The Tab reports that 'multiple reports state that he's earning $500,000 or more per episode of Euphoria season three.' BollywoodShaadis puts the figure higher, reporting that he 'took home approximately $700,000 per episode.' Finance Monthly estimates a lower number, suggesting he earned about $350,000 per episode by the later seasons.
The spread — $350,000 to $700,000 — is wider than ideal, but the center of gravity is clear: every estimate places him in the mid-to-high six figures per episode, well above his early-season pay and roughly in line with the show's other breakout co-stars. The $500,000-to-$700,000 band captures the two most specific reports and is the range this article will use.
As with all Euphoria salaries, the caveat is structural: HBO has never confirmed any cast pay, and no report cites an on-the-record source. These are estimates from entertainment outlets, not verified facts.
From $800 in the Bank to Breakout
Elordi's salary story starts with one of the best-documented broke-actor anecdotes in recent Hollywood. In a 2022 GQ interview, he revealed that after wrapping The Kissing Booth in 2017, he returned to Los Angeles with only '$400 or $800 left' in his bank account — and sometimes slept in his car. An HBO producer eventually arranged accommodation for him at The Standard in West Hollywood during the Euphoria shoot.
'Euphoria was my last audition before I went home for a little while to make some money and recuperate,' he told GQ. The audition, of course, changed everything: Nate Jacobs made him a global star, and the paychecks that followed transformed his finances within a few short years.
That backstory is why the season 3 numbers land with such force. A $500,000-per-episode salary is not just a number — it is the endpoint of a climb from near-zero, accomplished in under a decade. Few working actors have a steeper documented trajectory.
What He Earned for Season 2
For season 2, the reporting is thinner but consistent. According to Life and Style Magazine, via TheThings, Elordi 'received a similar salary to his co-star, Sydney Sweeney, who was paid $350,000 per episode during Euphoria season 2.' That figure, if accurate, represents the first major renegotiation bump — the moment his pay caught up with his breakout status.
The season 2 number also helps triangulate the season 3 range. A jump from $350,000 to $500,000-plus between seasons is aggressive but plausible for a show whose cultural footprint kept growing and whose cast spent years between seasons building outside quotes. The long hiatus between season 2 and season 3 gave every principal leverage: HBO was not negotiating against old contracts but against the actors' current market value.
What remains genuinely unknown is his season 1 pay. Unlike Sweeney's widely reported $25,000-per-episode starting figure, no specific number has been published for Elordi's first season. Given his newcomer status at the time, it was likely in the same low-five-figure band — but that is inference, not reporting.
The Euphoria Season 3 Pay Ladder
Elordi's pay sits in the middle of the show's reported season 3 hierarchy:
| Cast member | Role | Reported S3 pay per episode |
|---|---|---|
| Zendaya | Rue | $1 million+ (Puck News) |
| Sydney Sweeney | Cassie | $800,000 - $1 million |
| Jacob Elordi | Nate | $500,000 - $700,000 |
| Alexa Demie | Maddy | $400,000 - $600,000 |
| Hunter Schafer | Jules | $250,000 - $500,000 |
The ordering mirrors the show's star hierarchy: Zendaya, the established lead, at the top; Sweeney, the biggest breakout, next; Elordi, the male breakout, just below her; and the rest of the ensemble scaled by prominence. The gaps between tiers are narrower than they were in season 1, when Zendaya's pre-existing fame put her in a different pay universe from her co-stars.
That compression is the real story of the season 3 renegotiation. The ensemble that started with wildly uneven leverage ended up with a pay structure that looks almost flat at the top — a testament to how thoroughly the show's younger stars outgrew their original deals.
His Film Paydays Alongside Euphoria
Elordi's film salaries provide a useful cross-check on the TV numbers. According to Showbiz Galore, via TheThings, he earned $320,000 for his BAFTA-nominated performance in Saltburn and $500,000 for playing Elvis Presley in Priscilla — the latter described as his biggest film paycheck at the time. His earlier supporting work paid less: a reported $150,000 for Deep Water.
Those film fees look modest next to the Euphoria per-episode range, but the comparison is misleading. Prestige films like Saltburn and Priscilla pay in credibility and awards positioning; an eight-episode HBO season at $500,000-plus per episode pays in cash. Actors at Elordi's stage routinely take the trade, and his subsequent casting suggests it worked: Tatler Asia reports that Wuthering Heights, in which he plays Heathcliff opposite Margot Robbie, takes him into $5 million territory.
The $5 million Wuthering Heights figure, if accurate, would make his film quote roughly ten times his per-episode Euphoria pay — the point at which a TV salary, however large, becomes the smaller part of the income picture. That is the trajectory from $800 in the bank to the A-list, completed.
What We Know vs. What We Don't
The clean ledger: multiple outlets report Elordi's season 3 pay between $500,000 and $700,000 per episode, with one outlier at $350,000; Life and Style reported $350,000 per episode for season 2; his GQ-documented starting point was $400 to $800 in the bank; and his reported film fees include $500,000 for Priscilla and $320,000 for Saltburn. What we don't know: the exact season 3 figure, because HBO has never confirmed any Euphoria salary.
The honest framing keeps the range intact rather than collapsing it into a single confident number. '$500,000 to $700,000 per episode' is less satisfying than '$700,000 per episode,' but it is more truthful — it preserves the disagreement between sources instead of pretending it does not exist.
What is not in doubt is the arc. From sleeping in his car to a reported half-million-plus per episode in under a decade, Jacob Elordi's Euphoria pay is one of the great salary-climb stories in modern television — reported, unconfirmed, and remarkable either way.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Jacob Elordi make per episode of Euphoria season 3?
Reports place his season 3 pay between $500,000 and $700,000 per episode. The Tab reports $500,000 or more, BollywoodShaadis reports approximately $700,000, and Finance Monthly estimates $350,000. HBO has never officially confirmed any figure.
What did Jacob Elordi earn for Euphoria season 2?
Life and Style Magazine reported he earned a similar salary to Sydney Sweeney for season 2, at $350,000 per episode. His season 1 pay was never specifically reported.
Was Jacob Elordi really broke before Euphoria?
By his own account, yes. He told GQ in 2022 that after filming The Kissing Booth in 2017 he had only $400 to $800 left in his bank account and sometimes slept in his car. He called the Euphoria audition his last before giving up and going home.
How does his pay compare to Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney?
He sits third in the reported season 3 hierarchy. Zendaya leads at $1 million-plus per episode (Puck News), followed by Sweeney at $800,000 to $1 million and Elordi at $500,000 to $700,000.
What were Jacob Elordi's movie salaries?
Reported figures include $500,000 for Priscilla, $320,000 for Saltburn, and $150,000 for Deep Water. Tatler Asia reports his Wuthering Heights role takes him into $5 million territory.
Has HBO confirmed the Euphoria salaries?
No. HBO has never officially disclosed any Euphoria cast salaries. All published figures are reported estimates from entertainment outlets.
What is Jacob Elordi working on next?
His upcoming projects include Wuthering Heights as Heathcliff opposite Margot Robbie. He is also set for Netflix's Frankenstein, the series The Narrow Road to the Deep North, and Euphoria season 3.