The Cost of Being A Ghostbuster

I was NOT compensated for this post. This post may contain affiliate links.

According to a recent survey of Swagbucks members, over 30% weren’t afraid of no ghosts and would be willing to pursue a career as a Ghostbuster! Pretty surprising though, considering all the positive press Ghostbusting has been getting in preparation for Ghostbusters, that debuted in theaters July 15th. However, the real costs of bustin’ may put it outside of their price range even if you save on movie tickets with a Fandango Gift Card…

(Feel free to compare today's prices to 1984, when the original Ghostbusters movie was released.)

Jumpsuit – $29.99 – The most affordable part of Ghostbusting, even if you shelled out a little extra for patches and name tags.

Startup Fees – Approx. $2,000 – Starting a new business is never cheap. The Ghostbusters operate out of The Big Apple, one of America’s most expensive cities.

Custom Hearse – $7,000 – The new Ghostbusters are rolling in style with a custom 1980’s Cadillac Hearse. You’ll have to spend extra for all the bells and whistles. (Unless it was given to you, of course. You'll still have to pay for the extras, however.)

Firehouse Rental – $910,600 – You can’t be a true Ghostbuster with no HQ! Unfortunately, leasing costs are pretty high in Tribeca, where the building from the original 1984 film still stands. Perhaps subletting might be an option.

Proton Pack $20,000,000 – Those hefty backpacks worn by the Ghostbusters are basically unlicensed nuclear accelerators, and those do not come cheap. Might be time to take out a small business loan. 

Master Containment Unit – $14,000,000,000 – The closest you’ll get to a working model is ITER, an international large-scale science experiment to build a fusion generator. While it’d be strong enough to hold a ghost, it’ll also do quite a number on your bank account.

Proton Wand and Muon Trap – $125,000,000,000,000 – Ignoring the fact that stable antimatter doesn’t exist in our universe, the price of antimatter is $62,500,000,000,000 per gram, and we’re guessing that it’d take more than 2 grams of antimatter to catch and hold a ghost indefinitely. The cheapest thing will be the wand, actually. (It's a long science-y explanation.)

Total Cost = $125,014,020,919,629.99

If you decide to make these yourself, it could be a bit cheaper. Probably not by much, though.

Now that’s expensive! I don’t want to slime all of your hopes and dreams but I think it’s safe to say you’re better off sticking with your day job. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop dreaming and what better way to dream of Ghostbusting then enjoying a night at the movies with a Fandango Gift Card.