Monopoly is a classic board game that has been enjoyed by families for generations. The goal is to buy up property, collect rent from opponents who land on your spaces, and drive them into bankruptcy. Each property on the board has a different rent value based on the street it’s located on and whether a player has monopoly (ownership of all properties of the same color). Understanding the rent values for each property is key to maximizing cash flow and winning the game. In this article, we’ll break down the rent values for each street and property color in Monopoly.
Rent Values by Street
Monopoly’s properties are organized into color groups representing different neighborhood streets. Each street has 2-3 properties players can buy. Rent values for unimproved properties (without houses or hotels) are fixed based on the street. Here are the unimproved rent values by street:
| Street | Properties | Unimproved Rent |
| Mediterranean Ave | Mediterranean Ave, Baltic Ave | $2 |
| Oriental Ave | Oriental Ave, Vermont Ave, Connecticut Ave | $4 |
| St. Charles Place | St. Charles Place, States Ave, Virginia Ave | $6 |
| St. James Place | St. James Place, Tennessee Ave, New York Ave | $8 |
| Atlantic Ave | Atlantic Ave, Ventnor Ave, Marvin Gardens | $10 |
| Pacific Ave | Pacific Ave, North Carolina Ave, Pennsylvania Ave | $12 |
| North Ave | North Ave, Illinois Ave, Kentucky Ave, Indiana Ave | $14 |
| Park Place | Park Place, Boardwalk | $16 |
As you can see, rent values incrementally increase as properties get closer to the valuable orange (New York Ave) and red (Kentucky Ave, Indiana Ave) spaces on the board. Mediterranean Ave and Baltic Ave have the lowest rents at $2, while the coveted Boardwalk commands the highest rent at $16.
Rent with Houses and Hotels
Where rents really escalate is when players start adding houses and hotels. Houses can be built on any unmortgaged property, while hotels can only be built after a player has 4 houses on a property. The more houses or hotels on a property, the higher the rents.
Here are the rent multipliers when adding houses and hotels:
| # Houses | Rent Multiplier |
| 1 House | Original rent x 2 |
| 2 Houses | Original rent x 4 |
| 3 Houses | Original rent x 8 |
| 4 Houses | Original rent x 10 |
| Hotel | Original rent x 12 |
So if you owned Mediterranean Ave and Baltic Ave and built 4 houses on each, the rent would be $2 x 10 = $20 per property, or $40 if an opponent landed on either.
Hotels produce even higher rents. For example, an opponent landing on Boardwalk with a hotel would owe $16 x 12 = $192 rent for that space alone!
Monopoly Bonuses
Owning all the properties of a color group provides monopoly power to really ramp up rents. Here are the rent bonuses with monopoly:
| Properties Owned | Rent Bonus |
| 1 (no monopoly) | Rent as normal |
| 2 in color group | +10% rent bonus |
| 3 (monopoly) | Double the rent |
So if you owned all the green properties (North Ave, Illinois Ave, Kentucky Ave, Indiana Ave) and built 4 houses on each, the base rent would be $14 x 10 = $140 per property. With the monopoly, rent doubles to $280 per property, or $1120 if an opponent lands on any of them!
The power of monopoly allows you to charge higher rents and bleed cash from opponents. Smart monopoly players build up houses and hotels quickly once they gain a monopoly to maximize their rent profits.
Total Rent Scenarios
Let’s take a look at some end-game rent scenarios to see just how high rents can climb:
Mediterranean/Baltic Avenues
– 4 houses each ($2 x 10 = $20 rent per property)
– Total rent for both = $40
Boardwalk/Park Place
– Hotel on each ($16 x 12 = $192 rent per property)
– Red color group monopoly bonus doubles rent to $384 per property
– Total rent for both = $768
Orange Color Group Monopoly
– New York Ave, Tennessee Ave, St. James Place
– 4 houses each
– Base rent $8 x 10 = $80 per property
– Monopoly bonus doubles rent to $160 per property
– Total rent for all 3 properties = $480 if opponent lands on any of them
As you can see from these scenarios, rent rapidly escalates into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on which properties you own and how developed they are. Building houses and hotels as soon as possible is key to ratchet up the pressure on opponents through massive rent fees.
Strategies for Maximizing Rent
Here are some tips to maximize your rent income in Monopoly:
Target color monopolies – The best rents come from having a full monopoly and building evenly across those properties. Prioritize grabbing all the titles of a color group early.
Develop evenly – You don’t want lopsided development across your properties (e.g. 4 houses on one, none on the others). Build houses and hotels evenly to maximize rent collection.
House first, then hotel – Don’t rush to build hotels. Max out houses first, then convert to hotels later to maximize rent inflation.
Pool cash reserves – You’ll need a lot of cash to build multiple houses and hotels. Try to amass $1000+ in reserves before developing properties.
Avoid mortgaging – Don’t mortgage properties unless desperate. You can’t build on mortgaged properties, blocking rent inflation.
Trade and deal – Make smart trades and deals to get color monopolies or key properties. Pay attention to what opponents need.
Following these tips, along with some luck, can lead to massive rent earnings. Wheeling and dealing to get monopolies on the higher rent color groups like orange and red will really pay dividends in the later stages of the game.
Conclusion
Rent values in Monopoly vary widely depending on which streets and properties you control, whether you have monopoly power, and the level of development with houses and hotels. Mediterranean and Baltic deliver modest rents, while a fully built up Boardwalk with hotel can command quadruple rent thanks to bonuses. Understanding the rent formulas and pursuing color monopolies is crucial. With the right properties and strategy, you’ll be bleeding opponents dry through exorbitant rent fees in no time!