Compare Business Costs and Commitments

Match an option to the decision you need to make

The official overview describes several retail and office paths. This page compares their different commitments; use the first lease checklist to budget a chosen location, or the profit worksheet to compare operating results. The questions below are editorial planning advice, and the rows are not ordered by strength.

Option	Documented historical change	What to inspect before committing
Gym	EA 0.11 added Soda and Energy Drinks sales without an extra employee for those sales, and described improved early-income viability.	Inspect the whole gym’s staffing and equipment requirements; the drinks change covers only the added sales.
Offices	EA 0.11 increased profitability for Law Firm, Graphic Design, and Web Development and introduced Travel Agency and Event Planning.	Check which office service and staff roles you want to manage before choosing premises.
Cinema or Theater	EA 0.10 described large, high-end businesses with high licensing fees.	Investigate licensing and venue scale before putting this option on your shortlist.
Factory	EA 0.10 described faster production lines, worker-skill effects, and production of all products.	Decide whether you want to manage production alone or a connected factory-and-store operation.

Sources: EA 0.11 for gyms and offices; EA 0.10 for venues and factories. These describe changes at those releases, not performance in every later build.

What the comparison can establish

These announcements document changes to particular businesses. They do not compare all business types under the same build, difficulty, location, or operating period. A profitability increase therefore cannot establish the cheapest first business, the highest net profit, or a universal S-to-F ranking. Those comparative results remain Pending verification.

Use the distinctive commitment in the last column to narrow your options. For example, the venue row makes licensing a question to resolve before choosing a cinema; it does not supply an affordable budget. If several options remain, the activity you want to manage can guide your shortlist without inventing a measured winner.

The historical source snapshot dates from September 5, 2026. The matrix retains those dated announcements; their balance in later builds remains Pending verification. See the method and maintenance notes for the distinction between source dates and game verification.