Money Making Guide
TL;DR
Ancient Fruit Wine is the single most profitable strategy in Stardew Valley, yielding 1,650g base (2,310g with Artisan profession) per bottle with 7-day regrowth cycles. Starfruit Wine reaches 2,250g base (3,150g with Artisan), making it the highest-value single item. Pig Truffle Oil generates approximately 1,065g daily per pig. The Artisan profession (+40% to artisan goods) is the most impactful money multiplier. With 100+ kegs processing ancient fruit wine, players can earn millions of gold per season.
Making gold is essential for upgrading tools, building structures, and purchasing rare items in Stardew Valley. This guide ranks the most profitable money-making strategies with detailed profit calculations, including initial investment, setup time, daily and weekly profit, and scalability for each strategy.
How to Make Money with Ancient Fruit Wine?
The single most profitable strategy in the game. Ancient fruit regrows every 7 days and produces wine worth 1,650g base (2,310g with Artisan profession).
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Ancient Fruit Wine sell price | 1,650g (2,310g with Artisan) |
| Ancient Fruit Wine (Iridium, Cask) | 3,300g (4,620g with Artisan) |
| Ancient Fruit growth time | 28 days (initial), 7 days (regrowth) |
| Keg processing time | 12 days |
| Gold per keg per cycle | 1,650g (2,310g with Artisan) |
| Setup cost | Ancient Seeds (varies) + Kegs (30 Wood, 1 Copper, 1 Iron, 1 Oak Resin each) |
| Initial investment | ~50,000-100,000g for greenhouse setup + kegs |
Strategy: Fill the Greenhouse with ancient fruit. Plant additional ancient fruit outdoors during summer and fall. Surround the Greenhouse and farm with kegs. With the Artisan profession and 100+ kegs, you can earn millions of gold per season.
Scalability: Extremely high. Each additional keg adds passive income. With 125 kegs processing ancient fruit wine with Artisan, you earn approximately 288,750g per batch.
Setup Time: Medium (need to obtain Ancient Seeds, build kegs, wait for initial growth).
How to Make Money with Starfruit Wine?
Starfruit wine is the highest-value single item in the game. Each bottle sells for 2,250g base (3,150g with Artisan).
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Starfruit Wine sell price | 2,250g (3,150g with Artisan) |
| Starfruit Wine (Iridium, Cask) | 4,500g (6,300g with Artisan) |
| Starfruit growth time | 13 days |
| Starfruit seed cost | 400g (from Oasis) |
| Keg processing time | 12 days |
| Net profit per wine | 1,850g (2,750g with Artisan) |
| Initial investment | ~30,000-50,000g for seeds + kegs |
Strategy: Plant starfruit in the Greenhouse and on Ginger Island (Ginger Island farm has no seasonal restrictions). Process into wine with kegs.
Scalability: Very high. Ginger Island provides additional farming space for starfruit.
Setup Time: Medium (need desert access, gold for seeds, kegs).
How to Make Money with Pig Truffle Oil?
Pigs are the most profitable animal in the game. Each pig can find 1 truffle per day outdoors, which can be processed into truffle oil.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Truffle (normal) sell price | 625g |
| Truffle Oil sell price | 1,065g (1,491g with Artisan) |
| Truffle Oil (Iridium) | 2,130g (2,982g with Artisan) |
| Pig cost | 16,000g per pig |
| Deluxe Barn cost | 40,000g (holds 4 pigs) |
| Truffles per day | ~1 per pig per day (outdoors) |
| Daily profit per pig | ~1,065g (from truffle oil) |
Strategy: Build Deluxe Barns and fill them with pigs. Let pigs roam outdoors to find truffles. Process truffles into truffle oil with Oil Makers.
Scalability: High. Each Deluxe Barn holds 4 pigs. With 3 barns (12 pigs), daily income is approximately 12,780g from truffle oil.
Setup Time: Long (need to build barns, buy pigs, wait for truffle production).
How to Make Money with Cranberry Preserves?
Cranberries produce 2 berries every 3 days after a 7-day initial growth. Processing into preserves is highly profitable for fall.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Cranberry Jelly sell price | 200g (280g with Artisan) |
| Cranberry harvest frequency | Every 3 days (2 berries) |
| Seed cost | 240g per plant |
| Total harvests per season | Up to 6-7 |
| Total berries per season | 12-14 per plant |
| Total jelly value per plant | 2,400-2,800g (3,360-3,920g with Artisan) |
| Net profit per plant per season | ~2,160-2,560g |
Strategy: Plant cranberries on as many tiles as possible in fall. Process with preserves jars.
Scalability: Medium. Limited to fall season unless using the greenhouse.
Setup Time: Low. Cheap seeds, fast growth.
How to Make Money with Hops and Pale Ale?
Hops regrow every day after an 11-day initial growth. Processing into Pale Ale is very profitable due to the fast processing time.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Pale Ale sell price | 400g (560g with Artisan) |
| Hops regrowth | 1 day |
| Keg processing time | 1-2 days |
| Total harvests per season | Up to 17 |
| Seed cost | 60g per plant |
| Daily profit per keg | ~400g (560g with Artisan) |
Strategy: Plant hops on many tiles in summer. Surround with kegs. Each keg processes a new Pale Ale every 1-2 days.
Scalability: Very high. Fast turnover means high throughput.
Setup Time: Low. Cheap seeds, fast regrowth.
How to Make Money with Blueberry Wine?
Blueberries produce 3 berries every 4 days after a 13-day initial growth. They are one of the best summer crops.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Blueberry Wine sell price | 150g (210g with Artisan) per berry |
| Blueberry Jelly sell price | 150g (210g with Artisan) per berry |
| Blueberry harvest frequency | Every 4 days (3 berries) |
| Seed cost | 80g per plant |
| Total harvests per season | Up to 5-6 |
| Total berries per season | 15-18 per plant |
Strategy: Plant blueberries in summer. Process with preserves jars (faster) or kegs.
Scalability: Medium. Limited to summer season.
Setup Time: Low.
How to Make Money with Animal Products?
Chickens, cows, goats, and ducks provide daily products that can be processed.
| Animal | Daily Product | Processed Value | Processing Time | Building Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | Egg (large) | Mayonnaise: 350g | 3 hours | Coop: 4,000g |
| Duck | Duck Egg (large) | Duck Mayo: 775g | 3 hours | Big Coop: 10,000g |
| Cow | Milk (gold) | Cheese: 460g | 3 hours | Barn: 6,000g |
| Goat | Goat Milk (gold) | Goat Cheese: 800g | 3 hours | Big Barn: 12,000g |
Strategy: Build coops and barns. Fill with animals. Process all products daily.
Scalability: Medium. Each building holds a limited number of animals.
Setup Time: Medium. Need to build buildings and buy animals.
How to Make Money with Flower Honey?
Bee houses produce honey based on the nearest flower within 5 tiles. Different flowers produce different honey values.
| Flower | Honey Value | Honey (Artisan) | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| No flower (Wild Honey) | 100g | 140g | All |
| Tulip | 160g | 224g | Spring |
| Summer Spangle | 280g | 392g | Summer |
| Fairy Rose | 680g | 952g | Fall |
| Blue Jazz | 160g | 224g | Spring |
Strategy: Plant Fairy Roses near bee houses in fall for the most valuable honey. Each bee house produces honey every 4 days.
Scalability: Medium. Limited by flower availability and bee house count.
Setup Time: Low.
How to Make Money with the Mushroom Cave?
The Farm Cave can be populated with mushrooms (chosen during Demetriusโs quest). Mushrooms grow daily and can be harvested for profit.
| Mushroom | Sell Price | Iridium Price | Spawn Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common Mushroom | 40g | 80g | Very common |
| Red Mushroom | 75g | 150g | Common |
| Purple Mushroom | 300g | 600g | Rare |
Strategy: Choose mushrooms for the farm cave. Harvest daily. Purple mushrooms are very valuable.
Scalability: Low. Only one cave with limited production.
Setup Time: Very low. Just choose the mushroom option.
How to Make Money with Fishing?
Fishing provides consistent income, especially with high fishing skill and good equipment.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Average fish value | 50-200g per catch |
| With Angler profession | +50% fish value |
| Legendary fish | 500-1,000g each |
| Crab pot daily value | 75-150g per pot per day |
| Iridium Rod with bait | Faster bites, better fish |
Strategy: Fish daily with the best available rod. Use bait and tackle for better catches. Place crab pots for passive income.
Scalability: Medium. Limited by energy and time.
Setup Time: Low. Just need a fishing rod.
What is the Complete Profit Comparison?
| Rank | Strategy | Setup Cost | Setup Time | Daily Income | Weekly Income | Scalability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Fruit Wine | High | Medium | 5,000-50,000g+ | 35,000-350,000g+ | Very High |
| 2 | Starfruit Wine | High | Medium | 3,000-30,000g+ | 21,000-210,000g+ | Very High |
| 3 | Pig Truffle Oil | Very High | Long | 2,000-10,000g | 14,000-70,000g | High |
| 4 | Cranberry Preserves | Low | Low | 1,000-5,000g | 7,000-35,000g | Medium |
| 5 | Hops Pale Ale | Medium | Low | 1,000-5,000g | 7,000-35,000g | Very High |
| 6 | Blueberry Wine | Low | Low | 500-3,000g | 3,500-21,000g | Medium |
| 7 | Animal Products | Medium | Medium | 500-3,000g | 3,500-21,000g | Medium |
| 8 | Flower Honey | Low | Low | 300-1,500g | 2,100-10,500g | Medium |
| 9 | Mushroom Cave | Low | Very Low | 200-800g | 1,400-5,600g | Low |
| 10 | Fishing | Low | Low | 500-3,000g | 3,500-21,000g | Medium |
How to Maximize Income in Stardew Valley?
- Get the Artisan profession (Level 10 Farming, Tiller branch). The 40% bonus to artisan goods is the single most impactful money multiplier.
- Invest in kegs and preserves jars early. Even 10-20 processing units make a big difference.
- Use the Greenhouse for year-round ancient fruit or starfruit production.
- Process everything. Never sell raw crops or animal products.
- Save money for the first year. Invest in infrastructure (sprinklers, kegs, animals) rather than spending on luxuries.
- Plant crops with the highest gold per day for your current situation.
- Age wine and cheese in casks for maximum sell prices.
- Use Ginger Island for additional year-round farming space.
- Automate with sprinklers to free up time for other profitable activities.
- Combine multiple strategies for the highest overall income.
Data Sources: All game data in this guide is based on the official Stardew Valley Wiki and verified against game version 1.6.