💰 Money & Shopping
“There’s no Amazon Prime in the Time of the Red. There’s just you, your eddies, and whether the Fixer likes your face.”
The global supply chain collapsed with the Fourth Corporate War. Factories are bombed ruins. Container ships rust in poisoned harbors. What’s left is a scarcity economy — everything costs more, availability is random, and the corps control what little production remains. If you want something better than what’s on the shelf at the corner bodega, you need connections.
⚡ Quick Reference
Prices At A Glance
Currency: Eurodollars (eb) — “Eddies”
Price Tier Cost Where to Buy Examples Cheap 10eb Vendits, bodegas Ammo, kibble, glow sticks Everyday 20eb Corner stores Clothes, basic tools Costly 50eb Specialty shops Kevlar, sidearms Premium 100eb High-end shops Armorjack, Agent phone Expensive 500eb Fixer / Night Market Assault rifles, cyberware Very Expensive 1,000eb Fixer / Night Market Heavy weapons, cyberdecks Luxury 5,000eb+ Fixer only Exotic weapons, borgware
🛒 Where to Buy Things
The Scarcity Rule
Items costing 500eb or more (Expensive+) can’t be bought in stores. You need a Fixer or a Night Market. Supply chains are still broken from the War — military hardware, serious cyberware, and anything high-end moves through the grey market only.
| Source | What They Sell | Price Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Vendits | Ammo, snacks, kibble, basic clothes | 100eb |
| Bodegas | Daily needs, rumors, cheap booze | 50eb |
| Street Dealers | Street Drugs (Smash, Synthcoke, Black Lace…) | 10-50eb/dose |
| Night Markets | Everything — weapons, armor, chrome | 1,000eb+ |
| Fixers | Anything, for a price | By Fixer Rank |
| Nomad Traders | Military surplus, fuel, vehicles | Varies |
Fixers are the gatekeepers of the scarcity economy. Their rank determines what they can source: Rank 3-4 gets Expensive items (500eb), Rank 5-6 gets Very Expensive + Night Markets, and Rank 9+ unlocks Luxury items and Midnight Markets. If you’re playing a Fixer, your Operator ability lets you source items for the whole party.
🔫 Looting & Scavenging
“If you kill it, you keep it” — but there are complications.
| Item | Lootable? | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Ammo | ✅ Always | Count remaining rounds |
| Weapons | ✅ Usually | May be Poor Quality or biometrically locked |
| Armor | ⚠️ Yes, but… | Ablated from combat — needs repair (one roll restores full SP) |
| Cyberware | ❌ Not easily | Needs Surgery check (Medtech only), sterile environment, 4+ hours. Brute force destroys it. |
Selling loot: A fence (via Fixer) pays 10-20% of value. A Night Market booth (requires Fixer Rank 5+) gets near-market price. Direct trade is negotiated.
🏠 Living Costs
Housing
Your living situation directly impacts healing. Homeless characters cannot heal naturally — you need at least a Cube Hotel.
| Type | Rent/Month | Healing? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street / Vehicle | 0eb | ❌ None | You don’t heal, period |
| Cube Hotel | 500eb | ✅ BODY/day | Coffin-sized pod — the cheapest option that works |
| Cargo Container | 1,000eb | ✅ BODY/day | Metal box, basic privacy |
| Studio Apartment | 1,500eb | ✅ BODY/day | The standard Edgerunner pad |
| 2-Bedroom | 2,500eb | ✅ BODY/day | Room for stash and guests |
| Upscale Conapt | 7,500eb | ✅ BODY/day | Secure building, status symbol |
| Luxury Penthouse | 15,000eb+ | ✅ BODY/day | Welcome to the top |
→ For healing rates and hospital costs, see Healing.
Food
Real food is a luxury in Night City. Continental Brands controls 60% of food production in the NUSA — their Kibble (dry protein pellets in flavors like “Beef-ish”) keeps half the city alive. Fresh meat and vegetables are imported, expensive, and usually reserved for corpos.
| Tier | Cost/Month | What It Actually Is |
|---|---|---|
| Kibble | 100eb | Dry protein pellets. Tastes like cardboard. Keeps you alive. |
| Generic Prepak | 300eb | Microwave burritos, synthetic beer, vat-grown protein. Standard. |
| Good Prepak | 600eb | Name brands, occasional real fruit, soy coffee that almost works. |
| Fresh Food | 1,500eb | Actual meat, real vegetables, restaurant meals. A statement. |
Why Pay More?
The rules don’t mechanically punish Kibble. But roleplay does — showing up to a corpo meeting reeking of Kibble tanks your credibility. High lifestyle may be needed for social situations, and under the optional Environmental Humanity rules, living on Kibble costs you 1d6 Humanity per month.
Monthly Minimums
| Lifestyle | Housing + Food | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving | 600eb | Cube hotel + kibble |
| Standard | 1,800eb | Studio + prepak |
| Comfortable | 3,100eb | 2-bedroom + good food |
| Premium | 9,000eb+ | Upscale + fresh |
📈 Making Money
Jobs
Real money comes from gigs, not side work:
| Job Type | Typical Payout |
|---|---|
| Courier run | 500-1,000eb |
| Bodyguard gig | 1,000-2,000eb |
| Break-in / Heist | 2,000-5,000eb |
| Wetwork | 3,000-10,000eb |
| Major operation | 5,000-20,000eb+ |
Between-Gig Hustle
With 7 full days free, you can work your Role for pocket change. It’s not much — but it covers rent.
| Role | Rank 1-4 | Rank 5-7 | Rank 8-10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | 100-200eb | 200-300eb | 500-600eb |
| Netrunner | 100eb | 200eb | 400eb |
| Fixer | 100eb | 200eb | 400eb |
| Medtech | 100eb | 200eb | 400eb |
| Tech | 50eb | 100eb | 200eb |
| Rockerboy | 100eb | 200eb | 300eb |
| Nomad | 100eb | 200eb | 300eb |
| Exec | 50eb | 100eb | 200eb |
| Media | 100eb | 200eb | 300eb |
| Lawman | 100eb | 200eb | 400eb |
❓ Quick Answers
Where do I buy weapons?
If it’s over 500eb, you need a Fixer or Night Market. Cheaper stuff can be found in specialty shops.
How do I get broken gear fixed?
Find a Tech NPC — weapon shops, street mechanics, or a party member. See Repair & Crafting for DIY rules and NPC fee estimates.
Can I loot cyberware from enemies?
Not easily. You need a Medtech with Surgery, a sterile environment, and 4+ hours. Ripping it out by force destroys it. See Harvesting from Corpses.
🔗 Related Topics
- Progression — Hub for progression and resources
- Healing — Medical costs and recovery
- Repair & Crafting — Fixing and upgrading gear
- Database — Browse all gear, weapons, and cyberware
(Source: Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook, pp. 333-339, 377-385)