Skylines – How To Make Money

Have fans of city simulators Cities: skylines as one of the more modern examples of extremely realistic management games. After all, not only can Cities: skylines Allowing players to build dream cities – realistic or not – the game has a wealth of means to keep players entertained, be it through various objectives and other fun mini-components.

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A path for players to enjoy Cities: skylines it’s all about making money – and with the right approach, players can actually make a lot more money than they bargained for! Players with a keen eye for business may be able to customize their town to make as much money as possible.

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Saving makes money

One of the best ways to make money Cities: skylines is not to spend that much money. As counterintuitive as it may sound, forgoing spending on things that aren’t necessarily important right now allows the city to save long-term for other urgent matters or developments.

However, this sounds like general advice for a reason. Players need to estimate how much they want to save and if they plan to use that saved money for later. A lot of this has to do with what players plan to do with their city in the next few years or so. Working towards a long-term goal can help players strategically save their money and spend it on a more worthwhile investment.

Keep track of milestones

Similar to other games, Cities: skylines offers unlockable items and achievements for players to grab as they develop their city. These milestones unlock new zones, buildings, services, and even areas for players to develop for the city. And more importantly, these milestones also give players a bit of extra money during their session.

Unlocking new services also unlocks buildings associated with that service, with new milestones unlocking advanced options. Likewise, new zones provide milestones for higher density options and other zone specializations. Finally, new areas can give players the opportunity to unlock other areas next to them as well. As tempting as speed running at these milestones may be, it can put unnecessary pressure on the city. player new to Cities: skylines You might want to weigh up how many Milestones you want to unlock and how that might affect your city.

Taxes are the lifeblood of the city

Malicious as it sounds, taxes really are the lifeblood of the city Cities: skylines. Taxes can provide the city with consistent money, and with the right approach, can help the city provide better services and other upgrades that can facilitate continued expansion. Luckily, the game allows players to set a specific tax percentage, which allows them to properly regulate the money entering the city.

Players can set their taxes anywhere from 12 to 15 percent once the game starts, regardless Cities: skylines Map. You may need to be wary that setting taxes at 15 percent could discourage citizens from entering the area. Likewise, setting taxes too low can result in the city losing its budget for necessary services. Players who are having a hard time attracting citizens to an area may want to temporarily lower taxes until it is filled with residents.

Start with low service budgets

When players start a new game in Cities: skylines, chances are they will start with a rather small area that will develop over time. Theoretically, the currently available services can be maximized to offer citizens the best benefits, thereby encouraging more citizens to enter and facilitating city expansion. However, this can result in players wasting money that they can potentially reinvest in the city in the long term.

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Ideally, players who are just starting out should set their budget for services at around 50 percent. This may mean the city is only operating at 25 percent capacity, but players can easily adjust this should this not be sufficient based on their current progress. Such a plan shouldn’t cause concern in a developing city, so new city mayors should maximize this opportunity to save money while they can.

Get practical with service buildings

Building on low service budgets, players should also consider maximizing the opportunities their service buildings offer. In smaller cities with more land area, players may consider adding an extra building “just in case”, especially if they want to reach a specific building Cities: skylines esthetic. However, this may mean spending money that could be allocated elsewhere.

To avoid wasting money, players should consider maximizing the range of a service building based on the current city map. Players should only add service buildings when expanding to cover a new area. This minimizes expenses and allows players to use the money saved for expansions.

Keep things simple

While it’s extremely tempting to go the extra mile for a dream city Cities: skylines, sometimes these new endeavors cost immensely. For example, a city with a railway system may look amazing, but they cost a lot more than a regular bus system that does the same job. Players looking to save money may want to consider all the options they have to meet a specific need and choose the simpler, less expensive method.


A similar approach is to avoid services that the city doesn’t particularly need right now. For example, it seems impractical to have multiple healthcare hospitals in a small town when a single hospital could serve the needs of a few citizens.

Stay away from bridges and tunnels for now

Players still starting a new city may be tempted to build bridges and tunnels along their streets for that themed feel. However, those with small towns in Cities: skylines You might want to avoid bridges and tunnels for the time being due to their costly nature as modes of transport. Instead of this, Cities: skylines Players should instead focus on building roads.

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Instead, players may want to keep their city’s current area within the country and only expand if they have the budget to do so. This allows players to maximize the reach and reach of existing services, as well as the shaping of the land.

Avoid importing and exporting as much as possible

Industry is an important part in Cities: skylines, especially as this is all about making and selling different products to bring money into the city. The usual performance in a city’s industry depends on the zone in question and is expanded by DLCs like the one Industry DLC. As with real cities, players must consider the transportation involved in shipping goods from factories to trading areas, which is why there are separate freight options for roads, rails, ships, trains, and even more complicated ones Cities: skylines airport layouts.


While it is entirely possible for players to import and export products, it comes with a lot more costs and infrastructure in terms of transportation and management. Players who are just starting out may want to consider keeping things “internal”. This allows players to start importing and exporting goods only after the city is better developed.

quality before quantity

Many people are familiar with the saying “quality over quantity”, and the same saying actually applies to city management in Cities: skylines also. For example, while it may seem cool to see a ton of hospitals in nearby areas of a city, it may be more cost-effective to instead have a single modernized hospital that serves the same needs. In connection with saving energy and space, a modernized service building can be more advantageous in the long term.

This principle also applies to other aspects of the city. For example, instead of having multiple stations, a multi-platform train situation can be a worthwhile investment Cities: skylines. While this costs a lot more than regular train stations, it costs the same in terms of maintenance. This extra expense still gives players more room for railroad tracks and possibly room for a subway. The principle can also be extended to the cargo area, with an expensive cargo hub saving more space than placing a cargo station and cargo port next to each other.

Let the city run

Given the nature of many management games, newcomers may like a larger strategy game Cities: skylines might think they always have to “do something” or else their city will be ruined. Such an action can negatively affect a player’s leadership skills. In theory, that’s true, as players must be on their toes to prevent disasters from happening in their beloved metropolis. However, players who have at some point found a balance between their zones, taxes and the like will likely experience a state of equilibrium and make money for a while without having to worry about emergencies.

Players may want to capitalize on building a small but stable city to start building funds before expansion. By taking things slowly, players can expand the city more strategically and ensure that each new component doesn’t ruin the city’s revenue and citizen happiness. Players might even want to leave their town alone for a few hours to earn money before proceeding with upgrades.

Cities: skylines was released for PC in 2015.

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