A Complete Guide to Profit Margins in Stardew Valley

Adjust earnings and increase difficulty in Stardew Valley with Profit Margins

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: January 20, 2023

What does Profit Margin mean?

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When should I change the Profit Margin?

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Lowering the Profit Margin

The Profit Margin system was first introduced in Stardew Valley's Version 1.3 update. This system allows players to adjust their farm's earnings from crops, fish, animal products, and more. If you want a greater challenge, lowering your Profit Margin is a great way to increase Stardew Valley's difficulty. As long you're playing the most up-to-date version of the game, you can easily change the profit margin on your Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One, and in the mobile app. This wikiHow will explain the Profit Margin in Stardew Valley, including when and how to change it.

Things You Should Know

By default, you'll have 100% Profit Margin. Lowering your Profit Margin will decrease the Gold you can earn by selling items.
Only lower your Profit Margin if you want to increase the game's difficulty.
Create a new game, then click the wrench icon. Click the "Profit Margin" drop-down menu and select 75%, 50%, or 25%.

Section 1 of 3:

What does Profit Margin mean?

Profit Margin refers to the amount of Gold you can make by selling items. In Stardew Valley, most of your Gold comes from growing and selling crops. By lowering the Profit Margin, you are lowering the amount you receive with each of your sales. This includes the creatures you capture via fishing in Stardew.
- Stardew Valley offers set Profit Margins of 100% (Normal), 75%, 50%, and 25%.
- If you have your Profit Margins set to 50%, an item worth 60 Gold will now be worth 30 Gold when sold. If you have your Profit Margins set to 25%, an item worth 60 Gold will now be worth 15 Gold, and so on.

Section 2 of 3:

When should I change the Profit Margin?

Change the Profit Margin if you want a greater challenge. If you're a veteran player or even a new player who enjoys a harder difficulty, you can adjust your Profit Margin at the beginning of a new save file. This will essentially double the amount of time needed to reach any monetary goals.
- While lowering the Profit Margin will also lower the expenses of seeds, other unlockable items such as the Stable and Inventory expansions will remain the same. It will take you longer to obtain these features as opposed to a normal 100% Profit Margin game.
- In most cases, save files with normal Profit Margins see growth in Year 2, but lower Profit Margins may take longer.
- You can only change your Profit Margin when you start a new save file. You'll be unable to officially change it with an existing save file.

Section 3 of 3:

Lowering the Profit Margin

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Launch Stardew Valley. Stardew Valley is available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, as well as the consoles: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.^{[1]
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- For mobile users, Stardew Valley is also available for iPhone in the App Store and for Android in the Google Play Store.
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Click New. You can't change the profit margin for an existing game. You'll need to start a new save file.
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Click the wrench icon. This will be near the bottom-left of the character creation window.
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Click the "Profit Margin" drop-down menu. You may need to scroll to find this option. It will be underneath the checkbox for Spawn monsters on the farm.
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Select your Profit Margin. By default, it will be at 100%. Choose 75%, 50%, or 25%.
- The lower your Profit Margin, the less you will earn when selling items.
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Click OK. This will save your choices.
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Complete the remaining Farm setup. You'll need to create your character, fill in the required fields, and select a farm layout before you can proceed.
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Click OK. Your new save file will begin. You can now play Stardew Valley with your selected Profit Margin.
- Some aspects will remain unaffected, such as the unlocking of the sewer key.