Cayo Perico Heist Payout Guide

Cayo Perico Heist Payout Guide

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With a low setup cost of $25,000 and a variety of loot you can steal, the Cayo Perico Heist is one of the most lucrative heists in GTA Online. Of course, the number of heist crew members and types of loot you choose can alter the overall take. However, the lowest payout for the Cayo Perico Heist is still $1,000,000, making it one of the best heists for players with its relatively short setup and completion time (1-1.5 hours overall).

This Cayo Perico heist payout guide will help you decide what to steal from the compound and get the maximum payout. If you’re new to GTA Online, or Grand Theft Auto in general, and haven’t heard of the Cayo Perico Heist, you can find more info about the lucrative mission here. 

Alright, you Grand Theft Auto fanatics, here is Grand Theft Fans’ Cayo Perico Heist Payout Guide!

Bottom Line Up Front

Provided you work in the maximum group size of four players, and nail the highest-grossing primary and secondary target, then your group will earn a maximum take of $4,118,152.

Bear in mind that Fence fees, Pavel Fees, and Setup fees are taken into consideration, and you will need to split your haul four ways. So, after all the calculations are done, players will walk away with $2,002,066.

If you aren’t great at sharing, the absolute maximum take based on max leader cuts can be obtained by completing the heist with one other player. Giving you 85% of the takings, seeing you walk away with $2,360,055.

Ultimately, having one other heist member and focusing solely on collecting the stashes of cocaine and gold is the best way to get the maximum payout in the Cayo Perico Heist.

Main Cayo Perico Objective Payouts

Stealing Pink Diamond

The payout for the Cayo Perico Heist changes based on the primary and secondary target. After completing the initial mission and stealing the Madrazo files, the primary objectives will be found in the glass display case next to the basement safe.

The lowest payout for a primary objective is for the Sinsimito tequila bottle at $900,000–or $990,000 on hard mode– and the maximum is $1,900,000–or $2,090,000 on hard mode—for the Black Panther statue, which is only available on GTA Online event weeks.

Below are the four objectives that will randomly appear in the Cayo Perico Heist. 

Primary Objective Take Take (Hard Difficulty)
Sinsimito Tequila $900,000 $990,000
Ruby Necklace $1,000,000 $1,100,000
Bearer Bonds $1,100,000 $1,210,000
Pink Diamond $1,300,000 $1,430,000

Types of Secondary Loot

Stealing Secondary Loot

What secondary loot you grab determines the overall score of the heist. Although cocaine and gold offer the most significant payout, these items weigh your character down and slow movement speed. In comparison, cash and weed are lighter but don’t accumulate as high a payout.

However, most gold caches are found on the compound and require two players to use keycards to access them. Players can also steal paintings, which you can find in the office and the basement, but the payouts vary based on the paintings that spawn. However, how you — and your crew — approach picking the secondary objectives is entirely up to you.

The list below gives you the payout for a full loot bag containing each type of secondary objective. 

Secondary Objective Full Loot Bag
Weed $389,280-$398,040
Coke $441,000-$450,000
Gold $492,876-$499,788
Cash $313,920-$357,680
Paintings $352,4‬00-$399,400

Stacks of these secondary loot types are scattered throughout the island, but each stack takes up a different amount of space in a player’s loot bag. Below is a list of the value of each stack and the amount the stake takes up in a player’s loot bag:

  • Cash–$85-$90,000–25%
  • Weed–$147,870–33%
  • Coke–$220,095–50%
  • Painting–$189,500–50%
  • Gold–$332,184–66%

Depending on the number of crew members you have, what loot you should prioritize alters. For example, stacks of weed, cash, and cocaine are the easiest to find and access outside the compound.

While the painting, if located in the office, is the easiest to loot on the compound and is located on the player’s way to the primary objective.

But, if you have a full crew, it makes more sense to go for hidden stashes of gold hidden behind the locks that require two keycards to open.

Total Loot

Although over $7 million worth of loot is found on the island, the 4-player carry limit makes the maximum payout for the Cayo Perico Heist $4,118,152.

Maximum Solo Player 2 Players 3 Players 4 Players
Primary(Panther Statue) $2,090,000 $2,090,000 $2,090,000 $2,090,000
Secondary $499,788 $499,788 $499,788 $499,788
Safe $99,000 $99,000 $99,000 $99,000
Gross Take $2,688,788 $3,188,576 $3,688,364 $4,188,152
Fence Fee 10% $268,879 $318,858 $368,836 $418,815
Pavel Fee 2% $53,376 $63,772 $73,787 $83,763
Net $2,366,133 $2,805,947 $3,245,760 $3,685,574
Leader Max Cut 100% 85% 70% 55%
Setup Fee $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000
Leader Net $2,341,133 $2,360,055 $2,247,032 $2,002,066
2 Player Fee   $420,892 $486,864 $552,836
3 Player Fee     $486,864 $552,836
4 Player Fee       $552,836

Bonus Payouts

Hidden Safe

Regardless of a full loot bag, players can steal money from the safe to the right of the desk in the office. In addition, the office safe gives players an extra $99,000 and won’t take up any room in a player’s loot bag. Players will also receive $70k if they loot the gold pistol from Rubio’s desk.

You can find the key to unlock the desk on one of El Rubio’s guards, who will be sleeping outside a bar in Los Santos. The guards’ spawn location is random. Furthermore, when looting the sleeping guard, players are given $7,007.

Furthermore, the heist also offers bonus payouts for completing other side objectives. Most bonuses are only available once but offer players a bonus incentive to try and complete the heist in various ways. The bonus payouts that players can get are:

  • Complete the Cayo Perico heist for the first time–$100,000
  • Complete the heist solo–$100,000
  • Complete the heist with four players –$100,000
  • Steal all variations of the primary target–$150,000
  • Complete the heist without raising the alarm–$200,000
  • Complete the elite challenge–$200,000
  • Complete the heist on hard mode without losing a life–$200,000
  • Approach the Cayo Perico heist using all different vehicle options–$250,000

Best Crew Size

Heist Crew
Image from Wiki Fandom

The optimal crew size for the Cayo Perico Heist is two or four players. Although still a lucrative heist if done solo–players can net almost $2 million playing the heist solo–playing with a two-person crew gives players the best payout. If completing the heist with a crew, you should focus on looting gold and coke.

You can collect 4– sometimes 5–stacks of gold, with two players giving you the highest payout with the primary objective. Since gold–and sometimes coke– are locked behind keypads that require two players to unlock.

Furthermore, the value of the primary objective can also help determine the best crew size. If the primary objective is worth under $1 million, having another crew member to help unlock the gold caches will increase your overall take.

Whereas, if the primary objective is worth over $1 million, doing the heist alone, so you don’t have to split the overall take with other players, will usually give you a higher overall take.

Best Vehicle Approach

Longfin
Image from Wiki Fandom

Choosing the best approach vehicle to the island may depend on the size of your crew. However, the most useful approach, whether with a team or solo, would be–the Longfin. This approach offers the fastest boat speed in the game and a four-crew member capacity and allows you to gather secondary objectives before heading toward the compound quickly.

When using the Longfin to approach the Main Dock, you can go straight towards the dock entrance to find caches of coke, weed, or cash–-or you can make a sharp left to the airstrip, which has a stock of weed, cash, and, sometimes, coke that you can find in the hangar and nearby buildings.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How do you pick the difficulty of the Cayo Perico Heist?

Answer: To start the Cayo Perico Heist on hard mode, you will have to start the setup missions as soon as Pavel calls you after you have completed the heist–usually 30-40 mins after completing the mission. If Pavel mentions security on the compound being on high alert, means you can start the mission on hard mode.

Question: What secondary loot gives the best payout in the Cayo Perico Heist?

Answer: Cocaine is the best choice for playing solo, while gold is the best loot to pick up if you’re playing with friends or other players online. However, no matter what secondary loot you decide to steal, the payout will always be over or close to $1 million.

Question: How many times can you complete the Cayo Perico Heist?

Answer: The best part of the Cayo Perico Heist is that players can do it as often as they’d like, whether solo or with partners, allowing you to make over $1 million for only 1 hour’s worth of setup time.

Cayo Perico Heist Payout Guide: Final Thoughts

If you need to make money fast in GTA Online, the Cayo Perico Heist is your best option. A payout exceeding $1 million makes investing in the Kosaka one of the best moneymaking operations for players in GTA Online. Since relying on other players when playing Rockstar Games Online GTA V companion doesn’t always give players the best or easiest outcome, the ability to complete the mission as a solo player makes it an even better mission for players who are just starting to build their criminal enterprise.

Gold and cocaine are the clear winners for the best loot to pick up on the island of Cayo Perico. However, regardless of what players pick for their haul, the Cayo Perico Heist still gives players the highest reward. Its relatively short and fun setup missions make the Cayo Perico Heist the most lucrative heist for GTA Online players.

However, if you want to try out some other heists, then you should also check out our other GTA Online Heist guides on the Doomsday Heist, and the Diamond Casino Heist too! 

Continue reading related GTA Online Heist Guides

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