How to make money: income per tier, upkeep and trade

Residences are the main source of Denarii, and each supplied need raises a residence’s Income attribute. Upgrading is therefore the most reliable fix for a negative balance: a Libertus residence with every base-game need carries 6 Income, a Plebeian 12, an Equites residence 29 and a Patrician 66. Production buildings only cost upkeep, so chains that supply no need and no sale are pure expense.

Income by tier

Totals add up the Income value of every base-game need and service; for Chanters and Gymnasiarchs, whose province is part of Dawn of the Delta, every need except item-unlocked ones. DLC needs add more in Latium and Albion; for example Wine adds 3 for Plebeians and Equites with Dawn of the Delta.

Resident	Income with base-game needs	Needs worth the most Income
Liberti	6	Tunics 2
Plebeians	12	Garum 2, Sandals 2, Tunics 2
Equites	29	Brooches 4; Cheese, Fine Glass and Gambling House 3 each
Patricians	66	Bird Tongues in Aspic 6, Necklaces 6, Loungers 5, Chariots 5
Waders	7	Tunics 2, Garum 2
Mercators	13	Olive Oil 3
Nobles	30	Fine Glass 5, Bird Tongues in Aspic 4, Gambling House 3
Smiths	13	Trousers 2, Torcs 2
Aldermen	31	Necklaces 6 (item-unlocked), Fine Glass 5
Chanters	41	Fine Glass 5, Cloaks 4, Handmirrors 4
Gymnasiarchs	43	Necklaces 6, Bird Tongues in Aspic 5, Loungers 5

Gambling House adds 3 Income for Equites, Patricians, Nobles, Aldermen, Chanters and Gymnasiarchs but costs 2 Happiness. Bird Tongues in Aspic also costs 2 Happiness for Patricians and Nobles.

Upkeep

Upkeep ranges from 2 Denarii (Reed Gatherer) to 48 (Jeweller). Raw-material farms cost 4 to 8, finished luxury goods 20 to 48: the Epicure of Water costs 40, the Vintner 30 and the Lythier 30. A chain only pays when the tier it supplies is large enough. Before building a luxury chain, check on the good’s page how many residences one building supplies; one Jeweller covers 122 Patrician residences with Necklaces at the base consumption rate.

The production calculator adds up the upkeep of every building a set of residences needs, so it shows what a tier costs to supply before you build it.

Trade

• Sell surplus goods with passive trade. Since patch 1.5, traders only sell what they have in stock, carry less money in the mid-game and charge higher prices; the old behaviour can be chosen in the game setup.
• Players on Steam report steady sales of Olive Oil, Soap and Garum to the trader Dorian once production exceeds demand.
• Trader and rival quests pay Denarii early in a game.
• Update 3.0 added a storage tab to the Statistics screen that shows stock over time and every passive and active trade, which shows where money leaves.

When income falls

• A tier above its supply loses needs and income: check the Statistics screen for goods in deficit.
• Consumption setting: Update 3.0 made “normal” the default for new saves, which raises consumption over the previous default; it gave more starting money in exchange. Existing saves keep their setting, and it can be changed at any time.
• Festivals cost goods and money. Since 3.0 the money cost in the late game is 25,000 instead of 50,000, and the goods cost scales with the value of the good.