How Much Money Does Each Person Get in Monopoly?
When playing Monopoly, one of the first things you must do is pass out money to all the players. Each player receives the same amount of money. For the traditional Monopoly game, each player starts with $1,500. Throughout the game, they can earn more money via game cards (like the Community Chest and Chance Cards), passing go ($200 each time you pass), and collecting rent on properties that they own.
Starting Denominations for Monopoly Money
The starting money for Monopoly must be handed out using certain denominations. When handing out Monopoly money, give each player the following amounts:
- Two $500 bills
- Two $100 bills
- Two $50 bills
- Six $20 bills
- Five $10 bills
- Five $5 bills
- Five $1 bills
Players may begin spending their Monopoly money from their first turn. Though there is a Monopoly variation that requires players to go around the board one time before they begin purchasing property, this rule is not part of the official Monopoly rulebook.
What Happens If You Run Out of Money in Monopoly
When playing Monopoly, it’s possible that you might run out of money. Fortunately, running out of money in Monopoly doesn’t automatically mean you are out of the game. If you don’t have enough money to pay another player rent or follow the instructions on a game card, you can raise money by liquidating your assets.
It’s possible to effectively sell property back to the bank by mortgaging it. To do this, look on the back of the property to determine how much you can mortgage the property for. Make sure to turn the property card over so it reveals the amount of the mortgage. and then collect your cash. You can get the property back by paying the amount of the mortgage plus 10% of the mortgage amount.
Before you can mortgage a property, you must sell any houses or hotels on the property. You will sell these for half of the original amount that you paid for them. For example, if a property has two houses that you paid $200 each for ($400 total), you’ll sell them back to the bank for $100 each ($200 total).
If you sell all your property and still can’t make a payment, then you’re bankrupt. You’re also out of the game.
Amount of Money in the Monopoly Bank
Some players wonder how much money the Monopoly bank has. A Monopoly bank for the standard edition of the game has a total of $20,580 in the following denominations:
- 30 $500 bills
- 30 $100 bills
- 30 $50 bills
- 30 $20 bills
- 30 $10 bills
- 30 $5 bills
- 30 $1 bills
Note that this info is for standard Monopoly games produced after 2008. In 2008, the amount of money in a Monopoly game was adjusted for inflation.
What Happens If the Monopoly Bank Runs Out of Money
In games with a lot of players, it’s possible for the Monopoly bank to run out of money. Fortunately, the Monopoly bank never fails and empty bank doesn’t mean your game is over. If your bank runs of money, feel free to add your own with paper, tokens, or even real money. You can also purchase additional Monopoly money to permanently beef up your Monopoly bank.
Monopoly Variations
When playing a game version other than the standard Monopoly game, make sure to check the instructions to determine the starting money for each player. Some variations do have different starting amounts. For example, in Monopoly Here and Now, players start with the following amounts:
- Two $5,000,000 bills
- Two $1,000,000 bills
- Two $500,000 bills
- Six $200,000 bills
- Five $100,000 bills
- Five $50,000 bills
- Five $10,000 bills
