Making money in Cities Skylines 2 requires a strong foundation for your city's future growth and development. Achieving early profitability allows you to invest in essential infrastructure, services, and expansions without financial strain.

Below are 10 tips on how to make money in Cities Skylines 2. By focusing on efficient city planning, strategic zoning, and prudent financial management from the outset, you can have steady stream of income, turning your city into thriving metropolises.

1. Create Cargo Export Lines

Aspect	Description	Impact on Making Money
Cargo Export Lines	Manage and export surplus resources.	Increases revenue from exports.
Export Methods	Choose suitable transport modes.	Optimizes export efficiency.
Infrastructure	Build connected harbors and train lines.	Ensures smooth operation.

Create efficient Cargo Export Lines to manage and export surplus resources from your city's industries. Choose the most suitable export methods—road, ship, train, or plane—based on your city's layout. Ensure smooth operation by building well-connected cargo harbors and train lines, and effectively managing traffic. Regularly optimize routes and infrastructure to maximize revenue from the steady flow of exported goods.

2. Utility Setup

Aspect	Description	Impact on Making Money
Wind Turbines	Preferred for cost-effective power.	Stable power supply, reduced costs.
Avoid Coal Plant	Not advised to sell power initially.	Prevents subsidy reduction.
Govt. Subsidies	Initial financial support.	Financial cushion in early game.

Use wind turbines for power generation, primarily because they are cost-effective and the game's environment often provides sufficient wind. This choice is crucial for early financial stability. Another significant point is the advice against starting with a small Coal Power Plant to sell power back to the grid. The reason is that government subsidies, which are substantial at the beginning of the game, are reduced when you start selling power back. This reduction makes the financial gain negligible and can negatively impact your city's early financial health.

3. City Layout and Zoning

Aspect	Description	Impact on Making Money
Zoning	3x6 grid for residential/commercial.	Maximizes tax income from larger properties.
Residential Focus	Majority of money from residential.	High tax income from populated areas.
Workforce Balance	Control workforce for satisfaction.	Attracts citizens, boosts economy.

Use a grid layout for residential and commercial areas, specifically advocating for a 3x6 grid for zoning. Larger properties generate more tax income, which is a primary source of revenue for your city. By strategically planning the city layout and zoning areas, you can ensure a steady flow of income from taxes. This income is important for funding city services and infrastructure, which in turn attract more residents and businesses, creating a positive feedback loop of growth and revenue.

4. Use Well-Educated Citizens

Aspect	Description	Impact on Making Money
Workforce Control	Ensure community satisfaction.	Attracts residents, boosts economy.
Well-Educated Focus	Attract well-educated citizens.	Higher productivity, more tax revenue.
Job Availability	Balance jobs and population.	Sustains growth, maintains stability.

Well-educated citizens and a satisfied workforce lead to a thriving city, which in turn boosts economic activity. Well-educated workers are essential for running advanced city services and industries efficiently. These workers contribute to higher productivity and, consequently, higher tax revenues. Balancing the workforce, ensuring job availability, and attracting the right talent are key strategies for financial success in the game.

5. Turn Deficits into Surpluses

Aspect	Description	Impact on Making Money
Initial Deficit	Manage early expenses.	Turn deficit into surplus.
Level Rewards	Achieve levels for rewards.	Offset initial costs, boost income.
Balance Spending	Control expenditures.	Sustain positive cash flow.

It's common to start with a deficit due to the costs of setting up basic services. However, as citizens move in and the city grows, the deficit can be turned into a surplus. Try to reach the first level and receive financial rewards, which can be used to offset the initial deficit. The key to financial management in the early game is to carefully balance expenditures with income. This involves making strategic decisions about where to invest and where to cut costs. By managing the city's finances effectively, you can get a steady flow of income that exceeds expenses, leading to a financially stable and growing city.

6. Balance Costs for Profitable Services

Aspect	Description	Impact on Making Money
Essential Services	Add necessary services.	Costs vs. citizen well-being balance.
Cost Management	Plan service placement.	Optimize service costs.
Upgrades	Consider service upgrades.	Balance upgrades with budget.

As the city reaches level two, there are challenges in managing services and the financial implications of these services. Adding essential services like death care and medical clinics is necessary for the well-being of citizens, but they also come with costs. Be careful on the costs of these services and plan the placement and upgrades. Balance the need for services with the available budget carefully. Your goal is to provide necessary services to citizens without breaking the city's finances. This balance is key to maintaining a positive cash flow and ensuring the city's continued growth and prosperity.

7. Boost Revenue through Energy Management

Section 7: Power Plant Efficiency
Aspect	Description	Impact on Making Money
Plant Choice	Geothermal vs. gas plants.	Lower upkeep, upgrade potential.
Power Sales	Sell power back to the grid.	Immediate profits, manage fluctuations.
Efficiency Focus	Ensure full power plant efficiency.	Maximize output, increase revenue.

Geothermal is better than Gas Power in terms of its lower upkeep and the ability to upgrade for increased efficiency. Selling power back to the grid is a potential revenue source, but there are also problems such as the fluctuation in profits due to the lack of employees and changes in subsidies. The emphasis here is on the power plant running at full efficiency, as this directly impacts the city's income. Efficient power generation not only provides a stable source of energy for the city but also opens up opportunities for additional revenue through power sales.

8. Optimize Workforce for Power Plant

Aspect	Description	Impact on Making Money
Well-Educated Workforce	Ensure educated employees.	Essential for power plant efficiency.
Workforce Redirection	Redirect employees as needed.	Maximizes power plant productivity.

The efficiency of the power plant is crucial for the city's energy needs and can also be a significant source of revenue if power is sold back to the grid. However, this requires a workforce that is well-educated. Try to actively manage the city's workforce by identifying and redirecting well-educated citizens to work at the power plant. This might involve bulldozing businesses that hire well-educated employees to ensure that these individuals are available for the power plant. While this strategy might seem drastic, it is a necessary step for ensuring the power plant's efficiency and, by extension, the city's financial health.

9. Budget Adjustments For Increased Revenue

Aspect	Description	Impact on Making Money
Budget Management	Adjust budgets for services.	Balances service quality and costs.
Service Fees	Fine-tune fees and taxes.	Increases revenue without burdening citizens.

Adjusting the city's budget for various services like electricity, healthcare, and water is very important to overall making money in Cities Skylines 2. Your goal is to find a balance between providing quality services to citizens and maintaining a healthy city budget. Adjusting service fees and taxes is also important. By fine-tuning these financial levers, you can increase the city's revenue without overburdening the citizens. This balance may sound simple but it is crucial for sustaining the city's growth and profitability in the long run.

10. District Creation For Self-Sustaining Economy

Aspect	Description	Impact on Making Money
Districts	Create targeted management areas.	Allows focused economic strategies.
Policies	Implement city policies.	Reduces costs to increase revenue.

Creating districts and implementing policies can have a significant impact on the city's finances. There are benefits of creating districts, which allow for more targeted management of different areas of the city. Implementing policies like energy consumption awareness can reduce electricity consumption, leading to cost savings. Additionally, consider roadside parking fees as an additional revenue source. These strategies not only improve the city's financial standing but also encourage sustainable and efficient urban planning.