Matt Damon’s net worth: How the ‘Odyssey’ star built his wealth

Matt Damon has been acting for nearly 40 years, but he still approaches every film as though it were his first — introducing himself to everyone on set and arriving prepared, focused, and with zero ego.

To get ready for his role as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026), Damon dropped 30 pounds — returning to his high school weight of 167 pounds — following a grueling workout routine and disciplined daily schedule.

His preparation appears to have paid off. The Odyssey grossed $911 million worldwide in its first three weeks, and Damon’s performance as the intense and commanding Greek king has already generated Oscar buzz.

It won’t be his first.

The actor, producer, and screenwriter famously came of age in Hollywood alongside his childhood best friend, Ben Affleck. While still in college, they began writing the screenplay for Good Will Hunting (1997) as an assignment for one of Damon’s playwriting classes at Harvard University. Before graduating, however, Damon dropped out to join Affleck in Hollywood, and Good Will Hunting earned them the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1998.

Whether he’s running from the CIA in The Bourne Identity (2002), planning a multi-million-dollar casino heist in Ocean’s Eleven (2001), or battling his way home to his family in The Odyssey, Damon has remained one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men — and amassed a sizable fortune in the process.

Here’s a look at how much he’s worth in 2026 and how he made his money.

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What is Matt Damon’s net worth in 2026?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, an online source for celebrity wealth, Matt Damon has an estimated net worth of $170 million as of 2026. His fortune comes from his four-decade career as a leading man, regularly commanding $20–$25 million for his roles.

However, Damon has occasionally accepted lower upfront salaries to work with acclaimed directors, such as Christopher Nolan; in return, he negotiated a percentage of the film’s profits.

Here’s a look at his biggest paydays:

Matt Damon’s film salaries

*Thru the weekend of August 1–2, 2026

** Damon and Affleck sold their script for $600,000, which they split evenly

Source: Google and IMDB

Damon is almost as well known for the roles he didn’t accept: He famously turned down the leading role of Jake Sully in James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) due to his commitments with the Bourne franchise. That role ended up going to Sam Worthington, and Damon has joked that turning it down may have cost him as much as $250 million.

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Who is richer, Matt Damon or Ben Affleck?

The childhood BFFs made their Hollywood dreams come true — and kept their friendship intact for 45 years. But when it comes to which Boston-bred star is the wealthiest, the winner is Affleck, by a mile.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Affleck’s net worth is estimated at $300 million, while Damon’s is roughly half as much. The friends starred together in films like Good Will Hunting (1997), Dogma (1999), The Last Duel (2021), and Air (2023), and even started multiple joint production companies: Artists Equity and Pearl Street Films.

But Affleck founded another production company on his own in 2022. Called InterPositive, an AI filmmaking startup, the studio operated stealthily until it was acquired by Netflix for $587 million in March 2026. Affleck’s take was rumored to be in the hundreds of millions.

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Matt Damon’s early life and career

Matthew Paige Damon was born on October 8, 1970, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His father, Kent Telfer Damon, was a stockbroker, and his mother, Nancy Carlsson-Paige was a professor of early childhood education at nearby Lesley University. Damon’s parents divorced when he was two years old, and he and his brother, Kyle, lived with their mother in a multi-family home just a few blocks away from Affleck. In fact, their mothers introduced them, and they quickly bonded over their love of baseball — and acting.

Both Damon and Affleck attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and, along with Affleck’s brother, Casey, were very active in the theater program. Damon told Boston Magazine that his drama teacher, Gerry Speca, was especially influential on his craft, saying “He taught us to approach your work with a kind of abandonment that took out that fear of failure from the equation so you kind of just dive into it and put your head down and bust your ass.”

Affleck initially moved to Hollywood to attend Occidental College, but soon after arriving, he began auditioning for films. Not long after, Damon joined him; both friends tried out for a small part in Mystic Pizza (1988), but the role ultimately went to Damon because the casting director thought he looked older.

And with that, his career was launched.

Matt Damon’s business ventures

Damon’s joint production companies with Ben Affleck, Artists Equity, and Pearl Street Films were responsible for films like Unstoppable (2010), The Last Duel (2021), Air (2023), and The Instigators (2024).

Damon has also focused his efforts on social ventures aimed at helping the environment. His charity Water.org, co-founded with Gary White, offers micro-credit loans so that families in developing countries can access safe water. According to the organization, 92 million people have benefited from the project thus far.

This initiative spawned other water-based philanthropic projects, including the investment fund WaterEquity, which is backed by major donors such as Microsoft, Starbucks, and Ecolab, and Get Blue, which lets consumers donate a share of their purchases at Gap, Starbucks, Amazon, and other retailers.

Matt Damon’s personal life

Matt Damon dated his Good Will Hunting co-star, Minnie Driver, from 1997 to 1998. He then dated Winona Ryder until 2000.

In 2003, he met his future wife, Luciana Barroso, at a bar in Miami’s South Beach while he was filming the comedy Stuck On You (2003). She was bartending, and he had ducked behind the bar to avoid paparazzi. Barroso didn’t know who Damon was at the time and declared that if he was going to be back there with her, he better start helping out.

The couple married on December 9, 2005, in a civil ceremony at Manhattan’s City Hall. They share three daughters, Isabella (b 2006), Gia (b 2008), and Stella (b 2010). Damon also adopted Alexia Barroso (b 1999), Luciana’s daughter from her first marriage.  

Matt Damon’s real estate portfolio

According to Architectural Digest, Matt Damon’s real estate portfolio is fit for a king — it’s worth approximately $34 million and spans the country.

Damon and his family’s primary residence is in a penthouse in Brooklyn Heights that he purchased for $16.745 million in 2018 — the most expensive transaction in the area at the time.

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The property spans more than 6,000 square feet in the renovated Beaux-Arts building and boasts a large private terrace offering expansive views of the Lower Manhattan skyline.

Damon also owns an $8.5 million estate in Westchester County, New York, that features an antique barn, greenhouse, multiple streams, and hiking trails.

In 2024, Damon expanded his empire nationally by purchasing an $8.6 million condo in West Hollywood. The 2,900 square-foot space also boasts a large private terrace, allowing those inside to enjoy open-air views of the entire city.

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