How Much Money do you Start with in Monopoly?

Updated On:

by Basana Saha

As an Amazon Affiliate KidsCareIdeas earn from every qualifying purchases linked to Amazon.com and its affiliates.

Each player in a Monopoly Game starts with Monopoly money of $1500. In the Classic Monopoly UK version, each player starts with £1500.

Monopoly Board Game involves trading properties using the Money in Monopoly. It starts with a huge pile of money in Monopoly’s bank from where each player gets a certain amount of Monopoly money to get started in the game.

The Monopoly Money distribution amount to the player differs per version of the game, so it is essential to know the exact Monopoly Money you need to distribute.

In this post, I will discuss a complete guide on how much money each player starts for different Monopoly versions and with different numbers of players playing the game as per the official Monopoly Rules.

Let’s get started!

How much money do you start with in Monopoly?

While setting up the Monopoly game, money distribution is one of the major factors to consider. You first want to decide how much cash to distribute to the players or how much money to get started with.

Certain official rules in Monopoly define money distribution in Monopoly. There is no uniform or fundamental rule for monopoly money distribution.

Money distribution in Monopoly

It depends on what board you use, which version you are playing, and sometimes also on the country of the game.

Monopoly’s classic or basic version outlines the rule that each player Monopoly Players start the game with $1500. The Money is divided as:

  • 2*$500
  • 4*$100
  • 1*$50
  • 1*$20
  • 2*$10
  • 1*$5
  • 5*$1

This division considers all the available money denominations for the game. This is the operating official rule in almost every country where the classic Monopoly game persists.

However, if you are playing the older Monopoly version that existed in the United States before 2008, there will be some different rules than this standard. It is as follows:

  • 2*$500
  • 2*$100
  • 2*$50
  • 6*$20
  • 5*$10
  • 5*$5
  • 5*$1

Many players don’t pay much attention to the money distribution as long as the sum of the total money is $1500. This specific change after year 2008 came into effect because instead of 27 banknotes of the previous versions, only 16 banknotes and bills were used for the game after 2008.

This was done to establish a common uniform global standard for the Monopoly game. Later, in 2022, there was the next set of changes to increase the total cash to $118,660.

The increase in Monopoly money was done to end the players’ frustration when they ran short of money during the game. 

Monopoly Starting Money With Different Monopoly Edition

Monopoly VersionMonopoly Starting Money/playerMoney Split Per player
Classic MonopolyEach person starts the game with $1500. Depending on the number of players, the total money keeps on increasing. The money share for each player at the beginning of the Monopoly game is $1500. This amount is split into various denominations for ease of the game. 
Classic Monopoly UKEach player gets £1500 to start the game.For every player, they get their £1500 in this denomination as follows.
2*£500, 4 x £100, 1 x £50, 1 x £20, 2 x £10, 1 x £5, and 5 x £1 Monopoly Notes.
Speed DieEach player starts Monopoly Speed Die with $100. The total money at the start of the game will depend on the total number of players. Each player starts with $100 at the start of the game. The money sub-division for each player is as follows:
4*$500, 4*$100, 1*50, 1*$20, 2*$10, 2*$5 and 5*$1.
Monopoly EmpireEach player starts the Monopoly empire game with $100K or $100000. The total number of players in the Monopoly empire is usually 4. So the total money involved at the beginning of the game is $400K. It can also be more with the increasing number of players, but those are rare instances. Each player starts the game with $100K. The sub-division of money for each round of the game is:
1* $500K4*$100K2*$50 K
K stands for thousand. Monopoly Empire involves a greater amount of money than most other versions of Monopoly. The banknotes used in the game also have K oriented on them. This is to signify a thousand. So, a $100 bill on the Monopoly Empire game would mean $100,000. 
Monopoly JuniorDepending on the number of players, the total money varies. If 2 players play the game, each one receives $20. If three players play the game, each receives $18, and if 4 players play the game, each receives $16For a game of 2 players, the money split per person is $20; for 3 players, the money split per person is $18; and for 4 players, the money shared among each person is $16. 
Monopoly Electronic BankingEach player starts with $15 millionEveryone starts with a balance of $15 million in cash
Monopoly Cheaters EditionIn the Monopoly Cheaters Edition, each Player gets $1500 in the beginning.The $1500 each player gets are as per the following denominations. There are 2 * $500, 4 * $100, 1*$50, 1*$20, 3*$10
Monopoly Deluxe EditionIn the Monopoly Deluxe Edition, every player gets $1500 in the beginning of the game.The $1500 is distributed as follows.
2 x $500, 4 x $100, 1 x $50, 1 x $20, 2 x $10, 1 x $5 and 5 x $1 bills. Banker does the money distribution.

How much Money does Monopoly Have in the bank?

The Monopoly game setup has $20,580 in the bank. Before 2008, the amount was lesser than this, but after the revamped version of Monopoly in 2008, the amount increased.

monopoly money in the bank

Various factors like persistent inflation and the escalating popularity of the game are responsible for this inflation. 

Amount of Money a Player Starts Monopoly Considering Number of Players

In the classic Monopoly game, each player starts Monopoly with $1500. They are broken down into several denominations. The game begins with the bank owning all the 12 Hotels and 32 houses on the Monopoly board.

The bank holds the extra money for any need. Before 2008, the money reserve was less, but it was later increased to end the player’s frustration for constantly running out of cash. 

How much money do you start with in Monopoly with 3 players?

Each player starts the game with $1500. If there are 3 players, the total amount would be $4500. The players can borrow money from the bank depending on the bank’s cash reserve. The primary $1500 start money is broken down into denominations. 

How much money do you start with in Monopoly with 2 players?

When the Monopoly game is played with 2 players, the total money to get started is $3000. Like the rules in the 2-player game, the starting money is divided into multiple denominations.

Monopoly has evolved, making it more accessible for all players. Due to inflation, the total money involved in the game is now increased.

The game underwent 2 major alterations – one in 2008 and one in 2022.

Since monopoly is a game based on the world’s financial conditions and reflects a true concurrent economy, the money involved and its usage keep changing with the changing global economic conditions. 

How much Money do You get in Monopoly Cheaters Edition in the beginning?

In Monopoly Cheaters Edition, you get $1500 per player to play the game. Here the denominations of Monopoly Money that you would get are 2 * $500, 4 * $100, 1*$50, 1*$20, and 3*$10.

Final Words

Let’s conclude the post on how much money to start in the Monopoly Game!

These are the official guidelines of money distribution and we use them as a standard while playing the game. If someone does not follow these values of money distribution, you can easily spot them now.

I hope you enjoyed reading the post. You can read more Monopoly Posts here.

Was this Post helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!
basana-saha-kidscareideas-editor

Analyzed By Basana Saha

Basana Saha has expertise working for more than 25 years as a beautician. She has expertise in choosing the right accessories and gears for your baby. Being a mom she knows the problems new moms face. She would like to help with Parenting to new moms with her expertise in raising a child. Learn More About Basana Saha.