Your Economy Is Broken: Balancing Money, Jobs, and Progression

Why Everyone on Your Server Is Rich, Bored, and About to Quit

Let me guess what's happening on your server:

New players grind fishing for 6 hours straight, buy a supercar, then complain there's nothing left to work toward. Your "elite" import dealership has 47 Lamborghinis collecting dust because everyone can afford one. Jobs that should require teamwork are being solo-farmed by players with 8 accounts. Your Discord is full of people saying "the economy is dead" while simultaneously having $2M in the bank.

Sound familiar?

Here's the thing nobody tells you: Your economy didn't break by accident. You broke it with good intentions.

You made mining pay well because you wanted people to have fun. You made cars affordable because you didn't want to seem "grindy." You added money sinks, but they're optional, so nobody uses them. Now you're stuck in a death spiral where everything is simultaneously too expensive for new players and worthless to veterans.

This guide will teach you how to build an economy that actually works—one that keeps new players engaged, gives veterans goals, and doesn't require a server wipe every 3 months.

Why Most FiveM Economies Fail

The Three Common Patterns

After analysing dozens of servers and watching three of my own economies collapse, I've identified three patterns that kill server economies:

1. The Hyperinflation Death Spiral

You launch with reasonable prices. Fishing pays $500/hour, cars cost $50K-$200K, houses are $150K-$500K. Seems balanced, right?

Wrong.

Within two weeks, your economy looks like this:

• Average player bank balance: $850K
• Top 10% of players: $3M+
• New players grinding 8 hours to afford their first car while veterans buy dealerships for fun
• Nobody doing "skilled" jobs because fishing/mining pays better

Why this happens: Money enters the economy (jobs, paychecks, treasure) faster than it leaves (purchases, fees, taxes). You created a faucet with no drain.

2. The "Nothing to Buy" Problem

Players have millions in the bank but nothing worth buying. Your most expensive items:

• Supercar: $200K (everyone has one by week 2)
• Best house: $500K (15 players own it)
• Weapons: $5K-$15K (pocket change)

You added a yacht for $2M thinking it would be the ultimate flex. Three people bought it in the first week. Now what?

Why this happens: You designed your economy around short-term goals, not long-term progression. Once players buy the "best" items, there's no reason to earn more money.

3. The Grind Wall

You tried to fix problems 1 and 2 by making everything expensive and jobs pay less. Now:

• New players spend 12 hours grinding to afford a $80K starter car
• Veterans complain it's too hard to make money
• Everyone quits to join servers with "better economies" (that will break the same way)

Why this happens: You tried to slow inflation without understanding the core issue. Making numbers bigger doesn't fix bad design.

The Math Behind a Balanced Economy

The Golden Ratios

A healthy FiveM economy follows these principles:

Starting Balance Rule

New players should start with 2-5% of a starter car's cost.

If your cheapest "real" car costs $40K, new players should spawn with $800-$2,000.

Why? This creates immediate goals. Players can see the first milestone (buying a car) and understand roughly how long it takes. Too much money and there's no early goal. Too little and the grind feels hopeless.

The 1-10-100 Progression

Your economy should have three clear tiers:

Tier	Cost Multiplier	Time to Achieve	Examples
Starter (1x)	$1 baseline	2-4 hours	Basic car, apartment, pistol
Mid-tier (10x)	$10 baseline	40-80 hours	Sports car, house, business
End-game (100x)	$100 baseline	400+ hours	Supercar, mansion, multiple businesses

Example economy using this formula:

• Starter tier: Basic sedan ($40K), cheap apartment ($60K), pistol ($5K)
• Mid-tier: Sports car ($400K), nice house ($600K), business license ($500K)
• End-game: Lamborghini ($4M), mansion ($6M), import dealership ($5M)

Notice the 10x jumps between tiers. This creates clear progression without making early goals feel impossible.

The Hourly Income Formula

Here's the formula I use to balance job payouts:

Hourly Income = (Starter Car Cost) / (Target Hours to First Car)

If starter car = $40K and you want 3-4 hour grind:
Hourly Income = $40,000 / 3.5 = ~$11,500/hour

This becomes your baseline for all jobs. Fishing, mining, trucking—they should all hover around this number (±20%) with variations based on:

• Skill requirement: Higher skill = slight premium (15-25% more)
• Risk: Illegal jobs = 30-50% premium (because of arrest/death risk)
• Cooperation: Team jobs = split between players, but higher total income
• Active vs passive: AFK jobs should pay 30-50% less than active jobs

The Money Sink Ratio

For every $1 that enters your economy through jobs, $0.70-$0.90 should exit through mandatory costs.

Notice I said mandatory. Optional money sinks don't work because players optimize around them.

Good money sinks (automatic, unavoidable):

• Vehicle insurance/registration ($500/week per vehicle)
• Property taxes ($1K-$10K/week based on value)
• Business operating costs ($2K-$20K/week)
• Food/water (if you have survival needs)
• Ammunition and repair costs
• License renewals ($5K/month)

Bad money sinks (optional, easily avoided):

• Cosmetic shops (only whales use these)
• Optional insurance (nobody buys it)
• Luxury items with no utility (bought once, never again)
• Voluntary donations to city funds (lol)

Building Your Economy: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Define Your Time-to-Goal

Before setting any prices, decide how long you want these milestones to take:

Milestone	Recommended Time	Why
First car	2-4 hours	Quick win to hook new players
First property	6-10 hours	Commitment milestone
Upgraded car	20-30 hours	Medium-term goal
First business	40-60 hours	Investment milestone
Supercar	100-150 hours	Long-term flex goal
Mansion	200-300 hours	Ultimate achievement

These times assume active grinding, not passive income or AFK farming. Adjust based on your server's playstyle.

Step 2: Work Backwards from Your Goals

Let's say you want first car to take 3 hours of active grinding.

Target: First car in 3 hours
First car cost: $45,000
Required hourly income: $45,000 / 3 = $15,000/hour

Now set job payouts:
- Fishing: $250 per fish, 60 fish/hour = $15,000/hour ✓
- Trucking: $3,000 per delivery, 5 deliveries/hour = $15,000/hour ✓  
- Mining: $175 per ore, 85 ore/hour = $14,875/hour ✓

See how this works? You start with the time investment you want, then reverse-engineer the numbers.

Step 3: Add Job Variations

Now that you have a baseline, add complexity:

Skill-Based Multipliers

Base job: Fishing = $15,000/hour

Skilled variations:
- Mechanic (requires training): $17,500/hour (+15%)
- EMS (requires certification): $18,000/hour (+20%)  
- Lawyer (requires bar exam): $19,500/hour (+30%)

Risk-Based Multipliers

Legal jobs: $15,000/hour baseline

Illegal jobs (risk of arrest/loss):
- Drug running: $22,500/hour (+50%)
- Robbery: $19,500/hour (+30%)
- Chopping cars: $21,000/hour (+40%)

The risk multiplier accounts for:

• Time lost if arrested (15-30 min in jail)
• Potential loss of goods/money
• Need to avoid police
• Lawyer fees if caught

Cooperation Multipliers

Solo trucking: $15,000/hour

Team trucking (requires 2-3 players):
- Total payout: $27,000/hour  
- Split between 2 players: $13,500/hour each
- Why? Encourages grouping, creates RP, but doesn't break economy

Step 4: Calculate Mandatory Expenses

Remember: 70-90% of income should exit through mandatory costs.

If average player makes $15,000/hour and plays 4 hours/day:

Daily income: $60,000
Weekly income: $420,000

Required weekly expenses: $294,000 - $378,000 (70-90%)

Sample breakdown:
- Vehicle insurance: $2,000/week (3 vehicles = $6,000)
- Property tax: $5,000/week (starter apartment)
- Food/water: $1,000/week ($140/day)
- Fuel: $3,000/week
- Ammunition/repairs: $5,000/week (if active)
- Business costs: $10,000/week (if owner)
- License fees: $1,250/week ($5K/month)

Total: ~$31,250/week

Wait—that's only 7.5% of income!

See the problem? Most servers drastically underestimate how much money needs to leave the economy.

Here's a more realistic breakdown:

Weekly income: $420,000

Realistic mandatory expenses:
- Vehicle insurance: $15,000/week ($5K per vehicle × 3)
- Property tax: $35,000/week (percentage-based, 1% of value)
- Food/water: $7,000/week (if no AFK eating)
- Fuel: $12,000/week (realistic fuel costs)
- Ammunition/repairs: $25,000/week (combat/accidents)
- Business operating costs: $50,000/week
- License renewals: $2,500/week
- Misc fees (bank fees, phone bill, etc): $5,000/week

Total: $151,500/week = 36% of income

Still not enough! You need to add more sinks or reduce income.

Step 5: Implement Progressive Taxation

Here's the secret sauce: expenses should scale with wealth.

Property Tax Formula:
Weekly tax = (Property value × 0.5%) / 4

$100K apartment: $125/week
$500K house: $625/week  
$2M mansion: $2,500/week
$6M estate: $7,500/week

Vehicle Insurance Formula:
Weekly cost = (Vehicle value × 0.3%) / 4

$40K sedan: $30/week
$200K sports car: $150/week
$2M supercar: $1,500/week
Own 5 vehicles: $8,650/week total

Business Operating Costs:
Small business: $25K/week
Medium business: $75K/week
Large business: $200K/week  
Multiple businesses: Costs stack

Now let's recalculate for a wealthy player:

Veteran player income: $25,000/hour, 20 hours/week = $500,000/week

Their expenses:
- 5 vehicles (including $4M supercar): $15,000/week
- $6M mansion: $7,500/week
- 3 businesses: $300,000/week
- Food/fuel/misc: $15,000/week

Total: $337,500/week = 67.5% of income

Much better! Now wealthy players have ongoing costs that prevent infinite wealth accumulation.

Job Balance: The Details

Starter Jobs (New Player Friendly)

These should be:

• Simple - No complex mechanics
• Solo-friendly - Don't require other players
• Always available - No waiting for restocks/timers
• Baseline pay - $15K/hour in our example

Fishing

Mechanics:
- Buy rod: $500 (one-time)
- Go to fishing spots
- Catch fish every 45-60 seconds
- Sell at market

Payout:
- Common fish: $200 (70% catch rate)
- Uncommon fish: $400 (25% catch rate)  
- Rare fish: $800 (5% catch rate)
- Average: $250/fish × 60 fish/hour = $15,000/hour

Mining

Mechanics:
- Buy pickaxe: $750 (one-time)
- Mine at designated spots
- Ore collected every 40-50 seconds
- Process and sell

Payout:
- Iron ore: $150 (60% rate)
- Copper ore: $250 (30% rate)
- Gold ore: $500 (10% rate)
- Average: $200/ore × 75 ore/hour = $15,000/hour

Delivery Driving

Mechanics:
- No upfront cost
- Pick up packages
- Deliver to marked locations
- 5-7 minute runs

Payout:
- $2,500 per delivery
- 6 deliveries/hour = $15,000/hour

Skilled Jobs (Progression Goals)

These require investment (training, licenses, equipment) but pay 20-40% more:

Mechanic

Requirements:
- Mechanic training: $15,000
- Tool kit: $5,000
- Shop rental: $10,000/week

Income:
- Repair payment: $500-$2,000 per repair
- Average: 10-12 repairs/hour = $18,000/hour
- After shop costs: ~$15,500/hour effective

Why players choose it:
- RP opportunities  
- Player interaction
- Slightly better income once established

EMS/Doctor

Requirements:
- Medical certification: $25,000
- Hospital employment (whitelist)

Income:
- Base salary: $5,000/hour
- Per-patient payment: $1,000-$3,000
- Average: 5-7 patients/hour = $17,000-$22,000/hour

Why players choose it:
- Government job stability
- Important server role
- Good pay without risk

Lawyer

Requirements:
- Law school: $50,000
- Bar exam (test)
- Law office rental: $15,000/week

Income:
- Court case: $10,000-$25,000 per case
- Consultation: $2,000-$5,000
- Average: 1-2 cases/hour = $20,000-$30,000/hour (highly variable)

Why players choose it:
- High-stakes RP
- Player interaction
- Potential for huge paydays

Illegal Jobs (High Risk, High Reward)

These should pay 30-50% more but include significant risks:

Drug Running

Mechanics:
- Buy drugs: $10,000 investment
- Transport to sell location
- Avoid police detection
- Sell for profit

Income (if successful):
- Profit: $22,500 per run
- Time: 45-60 minutes per run
- Hourly: ~$22,500/hour

Risks:
- Police confiscation (lose $10K investment)
- Jail time (30-45 mins, lose run time)
- Death (lose drugs and money)
- Expected value after risk: ~$16,500/hour

Bank Robbery

Requirements:
- 4 player minimum
- Drill kit: $15,000
- Weapons: $10,000
- Hacking device: $5,000
- Total investment: $30,000

Income (if successful):
- Vault take: $200,000 (split 4 ways = $50K each)
- Time: 60-90 minutes total
- Effective hourly: $25,000-$35,000/hour per person

Risks:
- 80% chance police respond
- 60% chance of arrest
- Lose all equipment if caught
- 45 minute jail sentence
- Expected value: ~$12,000/hour (accounting for failures)

Notice how the potential payout is high, but the expected value after accounting for risk is similar to legal jobs? That's the balance.

Preventing Exploits and Farming

Multi-Accounting

The problem: Players create multiple accounts to farm solo jobs simultaneously.

Solutions:

• Hardware bans: Limit accounts per HWID to 1-2
• Active play detection: Flag accounts that do repetitive actions without variation
• Progressive payouts: First hour pays 100%, second hour 90%, third hour 75%, etc.
• Job cooldowns: Can only do the same job for 2-3 hours before forced break

AFK Farming

The problem: Players set up macros to farm while not actually playing.

Solutions:

• Randomized interactions: Different button prompts, locations, etc.
• Activity checks: Random captchas or skill checks
• Diminishing returns: Same-location farming pays less over time
• Movement requirements: Must travel between locations

Market Manipulation

The problem: Groups controlling resource spawns or cornering markets.

Solutions:

• Dynamic spawns: Resources appear in random locations
• Purchase limits: Can only buy/sell X per hour
• NPC buyers: Always offer minimum prices (prevents complete control)
• Anti-monopoly rules: Limit business ownership per player/group

Money Sinks: Make Them Work

The Money Sink Pyramid

Not all money sinks are created equal. Here's the hierarchy:

Tier 1: Automatic Drains (Best)

These happen without player choice:

• Property taxes: Charged weekly, can't be avoided
• Vehicle insurance: Required to drive legally
• Business costs: Automatic deduction from business accounts
• Durability systems: Items break and need replacement

Example: Vehicle durability
- Every car has 0-100% condition
- Driving degrades condition (0.5% per hour)
- Crashes accelerate degradation (5-20% per crash)
- Below 50%: Performance reduced
- Below 25%: Risk of breakdown
- Repairs cost 1-3% of vehicle value

$200K sports car:
- 10 hours driving: $2,000 in maintenance  
- 1 big crash: $6,000 repair
- Total: $8,000/week in car maintenance alone

Tier 2: Mandatory Purchases (Good)

Players must buy these to function:

• Food/water: If you have survival needs
• Fuel: For vehicles
• Ammunition: For weapons
• Licenses: Required for certain jobs/activities

Tier 3: Convenience Purchases (Okay)

Optional but valuable:

• Fast travel: Pay to skip driving
• Extra inventory space: Backpack upgrades
• Skill resets: Respec character builds
• Name changes: Character customization

Tier 4: Luxury/Cosmetic (Weak)

These barely work as money sinks:

• Cosmetic items: Bought once, never again
• Collectibles: Limited market
• Decorations: Only RP-focused players care

The Perfect Money Sink: Housing

Housing is the best money sink when designed correctly:

Tier 1: Apartments ($75K-$150K)
- Base tax: $750-$1,500/week
- Storage: 50 item slots
- Parking: 1 vehicle

Tier 2: Houses ($300K-$800K)  
- Base tax: $3,000-$8,000/week
- Storage: 200 item slots
- Parking: 3 vehicles
- Can grow drugs (+$50K setup, +$5K/week operating costs)

Tier 3: Mansions ($2M-$8M)
- Base tax: $20,000-$80,000/week
- Storage: 500 item slots  
- Parking: 10 vehicles
- Can operate multiple businesses from home
- Status symbol / RP value

Why this works:
- Upfront cost (removes money from economy)
- Ongoing costs (continuous drain)
- Provides utility (players actually want it)
- Clear progression (apartments → houses → mansions)
- Scales with wealth (rich players pay more)

Fixing a Broken Economy (Without Wiping)

The Soft Reset Strategy

Your economy is already broken. You have players with $5M in the bank and nothing to buy. Here's how to fix it without a full wipe:

Phase 1: Audit and Freeze (Week 1)

Announce the economic update:

"We're implementing major economic changes to improve long-term server health. For the next week, we're auditing the economy. No player data will be wiped, but expect significant changes to prices, payouts, and systems."

Gather data:

-- SQL query to understand your economy
SELECT 
    AVG(bank + cash) as avg_money,
    MAX(bank + cash) as max_money,
    MIN(bank + cash) as min_money,
    COUNT(*) as total_players,
    (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM owned_vehicles) as total_vehicles,
    (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM owned_properties) as total_properties
FROM users
WHERE last_login > DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 30 DAY);

-- Check job usage
SELECT job, COUNT(*) as players
FROM users  
GROUP BY job
ORDER BY players DESC;

-- Check wealth distribution
SELECT 
    CASE 
        WHEN (bank + cash) < 100000 THEN 'Under 100K'
        WHEN (bank + cash) < 500000 THEN '100K-500K'
        WHEN (bank + cash) < 1000000 THEN '500K-1M'
        WHEN (bank + cash) < 5000000 THEN '1M-5M'
        ELSE 'Over 5M'
    END as wealth_bracket,
    COUNT(*) as players
FROM users
GROUP BY wealth_bracket;

Phase 2: Implement New Systems (Week 2)

Add all the automatic money sinks:

• Property taxes (calculate based on current ownership)
• Vehicle insurance (charge for existing vehicles)
• Business operating costs
• Durability/maintenance systems

Adjust job payouts to new baseline:

• Reduce all job payouts by 30-50%
• Announce this clearly with reasoning

Increase all prices by 2-3x:

• Vehicles, properties, items, everything
• This makes existing wealth less powerful

Phase 3: Luxury Tier Introduction (Week 3)

Add new top-tier items for wealthy players:

New luxury items:
- Mega-mansions: $15M-$25M
- Hypercar collection: $8M-$12M per car
- Business empires: $10M+ investment
- Private islands: $20M
- Yacht + helicopter combo: $18M

Why this works:
- Gives veterans something to work toward
- Drains existing wealth
- Creates new status symbols
- Doesn't affect new player experience

Phase 4: Monitor and Adjust (Ongoing)

Track these metrics weekly:

Weekly economy dashboard:
1. Average player wealth (should stabilize or slowly decrease)
2. New player retention (first car milestone completion rate)
3. Job distribution (no single job should be >40% of activity)
4. Money supply growth rate (should be near zero)
5. Complaint volume in Discord (measure sentiment)

The Nuclear Option: Smart Wipes

If your economy is too far gone, consider a partial wipe instead of full reset:

Option 1: Money Wipe, Keep Assets

What gets wiped:
- All cash and bank balances → reset to $5,000

What stays:
- Owned vehicles (but add weekly insurance costs)
- Owned properties (but add weekly taxes)
- Job levels/skills
- Character data and RP history

Reasoning:
- Players keep their "progress" (items, skills)
- But hyperinflation is eliminated
- New money sinks prevent repeat problems

Option 2: Percentage Reduction

-- Reduce everyone's money by 70%
UPDATE users SET 
    bank = bank * 0.30,
    cash = cash * 0.30;

What this does:
- $10M becomes $3M (still rich, but manageable)
- $100K becomes $30K (proportional impact)
- Relative wealth positions maintained
- Less dramatic than full wipe

Option 3: Wealth Cap with Compensation

Implementation:
1. Set maximum money at $2M per player
2. Convert excess to "bonds" or "investments"
3. Bonds pay 5% monthly passive income
4. Can't be cashed out, only generates income

Example:
Player has $8M → capped at $2M
Excess $6M → converted to bonds
Bonds generate $300K/month passive income

Why this works:
- Limits liquid wealth (prevents inflation)
- Rewards veteran players (passive income)
- Creates ongoing money sink (bonds could have fees)
- Preserves some value of their grinding

Real-World Example: My Server's Economy

The Numbers That Work

Here's the actual economy from my 80-100 player server that's been stable for 8 months:

Starting Conditions

New player spawns with: $2,500
First car target: $50,000 (3-4 hours grinding)
First apartment target: $85,000 (6-8 hours total)

Job Payouts (Per Hour, Active Grinding)

Job	Hourly Income	Requirements
Fishing	$14,000	$500 rod
Mining	$15,500	$800 pickaxe
Trucking	$16,000	$25K truck (or rental $500/day)
Mechanic	$18,500	$20K training, player interaction
EMS	$19,000	$30K cert, whitelist
Police	$21,000	Academy, strict whitelist
Drug Running	$24,000*	$15K investment, arrest risk
Bank Heist	$28,000*	4 players, $40K equipment

* Before accounting for arrest/death risk. Expected value after risk is ~$16-18K/hour

Price Tiers

Category	Starter	Mid-Tier	End-Game
Vehicles	$50K-$120K	$450K-$900K	$4M-$8M
Properties	$85K-$175K	$650K-$1.2M	$5M-$12M
Businesses	N/A	$500K-$1M	$3M-$10M

Weekly Money Sinks

Player Type	Weekly Income	Weekly Expenses	Net Savings
New (10 hrs/week)	$150,000	$12,000	$138,000
Casual (15 hrs/week)	$255,000	$48,000	$207,000
Active (25 hrs/week)	$450,000	$165,000	$285,000
Veteran (20 hrs/week)	$420,000	$310,000	$110,000

Notice the pattern: New players save quickly (for first car/apartment). Veterans save slowly (expensive assets have high upkeep). This prevents runaway wealth while maintaining progression.

Results After 8 Months

Player wealth distribution:
- Under $100K: 35% (new/returning players)
- $100K-$500K: 28% (established, working toward mid-tier)
- $500K-$2M: 22% (mid-tier, building wealth)
- $2M-$5M: 11% (wealthy, multiple assets)
- Over $5M: 4% (ultra-wealthy, max-tier everything)

Average daily playtime to first car: 3.2 hours
Player retention (30-day): 64%
Economy inflation rate: 2.1% per month (healthy)
Complaints about economy: Minimal

Most importantly:
- New players can achieve early goals quickly
- Veterans still have things to work toward
- No server wipes needed
- Discord isn't full of economy complaints

Common Objections (And Rebuttals)

"But players will complain it's too grindy!"

Some will. Here's the reality: Players complain about everything.

The question isn't "will anyone complain" but "what percentage of your player base actually quits over this?"

When I implemented these changes:

• Discord complaints: Loud (maybe 20 vocal players)
• Actual player loss: 8 players quit (6% of active base)
• Player gain: 23 new players joined after seeing "economy update" (word of mouth improved)
• Net result: Player count up 11%

The vocal minority doesn't represent the silent majority. Most players accept balance changes if you communicate the reasoning clearly.

"Players will just go to easier servers!"

Let them.

You don't want players who server-hop looking for the easiest grind. You want players who appreciate balanced progression and stick around.

Those "easy" servers will have broken economies in 2 months. Then those players will come back—if you haven't chased them away by making everything easy too.

"Rich players will riot if I add expensive money sinks!"

Communicate it properly:

"We're adding new luxury-tier items and systems for our most dedicated players. These include mega-mansions, business empires, and exclusive vehicles. To maintain long-term server health, high-value assets will have operating costs that scale with their value. This ensures the economy remains balanced for new players while giving veterans meaningful goals."

Frame it as new content for them, not punishment for being rich.

"This is too much math, I just want to run a server!"

Here's the shortcut version:

1. Decide how long first car should take (3-4 hours recommended)
2. Set all jobs to pay roughly the same per hour based on that
3. Make mid-tier items cost 10x starter items
4. Make end-game items cost 100x starter items
5. Add weekly costs equal to 0.5-1% of asset value
6. Monitor and adjust monthly

You don't need a PhD in economics. You need consistent ratios and a willingness to adjust.

The Bottom Line

Your economy is either designed or it's chaos.

If you haven't sat down with a spreadsheet and actually calculated progression times, income rates, and money sinks, your economy is chaos. It might work for a month, maybe two. But it will break.

The servers that last years—the NoPixels, the successful whitelist servers—they all have one thing in common: somebody did the math.

You don't need perfection. You need:

• Clear progression tiers (starter, mid, end-game)
• Consistent job payouts (based on target progression times)
• Automatic money sinks (that scale with wealth)
• Regular monitoring (monthly check-ins minimum)
• Willingness to adjust (no economy is perfect on launch)

Start with the formulas in this guide. Adjust them for your server's playstyle. Monitor the results. Make changes.

Your economy will never be perfect. But it can be sustainable.

And sustainable beats broken every single time.

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Quick Reference: Economy Design Checklist

Foundation:

• ☐ Decided target time-to-first-car (recommend 3-4 hours)
• ☐ Calculated baseline hourly income from target time
• ☐ Set all starter jobs within ±20% of baseline
• ☐ Defined 1x-10x-100x price tiers for items

Jobs:

• ☐ Starter jobs pay baseline (no requirements)
• ☐ Skilled jobs pay +15-30% (require training/certs)
• ☐ Risky jobs pay +30-50% (illegal, arrest risk)
• ☐ No single job dominates (should be 60-40 split max)

Money Sinks:

• ☐ Property taxes (0.5% of value per week)
• ☐ Vehicle insurance (0.3% of value per week)
• ☐ Business operating costs (tiered by size)
• ☐ Durability/maintenance systems
• ☐ Total sinks remove 70-90% of income

Monitoring:

• ☐ Track average player wealth monthly
• ☐ Monitor new player time-to-first-car
• ☐ Check job distribution (no monopolies)
• ☐ Review Discord for economy complaints
• ☐ Adjust as needed (don't be afraid to change)

Anti-Exploit:

• ☐ Multi-account detection/prevention
• ☐ AFK farming protection
• ☐ Job cooldowns or diminishing returns
• ☐ Market manipulation prevention

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Need help? Join FiveM development communities and share your economy numbers. Experienced server owners can spot issues quickly.

Found this helpful? The next time someone complains about your economy in Discord, send them this guide instead of arguing. Let the math do the talking.

Good luck, and may your economy stay balanced! 💰