Two heists, two very different money machines. The Kortz Center Heist (live since July 14, 2026) drops a fat ~GTA$2.2 million on your first run of the week, while Cayo Perico — the solo grinder's favourite for four years — keeps paying ~GTA$800K–1.5M per run all week long. So which one actually makes you more money in 2026? The honest answer depends entirely on how you play. This guide breaks down every payout, buy-in cost, cooldown and per-hour number for both, then tells you exactly which heist to run for your situation.
Quick answer: For a single big weekly score, the Kortz Center Heist pays more — about GTA$2.0–2.25M on your first clean solo run versus Cayo Perico's GTA$1.0–1.5M. But for sustained grinding, Cayo Perico still pays more overall: Kortz repeat runs collapse to ~GTA$400K gross (~GTA$300K net), while even a nerfed Cayo repeat nets ~GTA$800K–1M. Cayo is also far cheaper to unlock: a GTA$2.2M Kosatka submarine versus Kortz's ~GTA$16.2M Mansion + Art Studio buy-in. Best play: run Kortz once a week for the big bonus, then grind Cayo for everything after.
The Kortz Center is the first brand-new Heist Rockstar has added to Los Santos since Cayo Perico launched in December 2020, so this is the first time solo players have had a real alternative to island runs. Below are the exact 2026 numbers, verified against Rockstar's own Newswire announcement and current in-game payouts, so you can decide where to spend your grind time before GTA 6 arrives.
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Kortz Center vs Cayo Perico: the payout comparison at a glance
Here is the head-to-head for a solo player in 2026. All figures are GTA$.
| Metric | Kortz Center Heist | Cayo Perico Heist |
|---|---|---|
| First clean solo run | $2,000,000–$2,250,000 | $1,000,000–$1,500,000 |
| Best-case single run | up to ~$2.65M (secondary art) | ~$2.3M (Panther Statue event only) |
| Repeat run payout | ~$400,000 gross / ~$300,000 net | ~$800,000–$1,000,000 (repeats skew to low-value Tequila) |
| One-time buy-in | ~$16,200,000 (Mansion + Art Studio) | $2,200,000 (Kosatka submarine) |
| Setup cost per run | $100,000 (replay) | $100,000 |
| Solo cooldown between finales | 2h 24m | 2h 24m |
| Co-op cooldown | 48 minutes | 48 minutes |
| First-run rate | ~$1.3M–$1.5M/hr | ~$2M+/hr (20–30 min run) |
| Hard Mode bonus | +10% | +10% primary |
| Elite Challenge bonus | — | $200,000 flat |
The pattern jumps out immediately: Kortz wins the single biggest score, Cayo wins the grind. The rest of this guide explains why, with the exact mechanics behind each number.
How much does the Kortz Center Heist pay in 2026?
The Kortz Center Heist is an art-gallery robbery set in Pacific Bluffs, added in Title Update 1.73. Rockstar's official update description sets the scene:
"Set in the hills of Pacific Bluffs, the iconic Kortz Center has long been one of Los Santos' most prestigious cultural landmarks, housing a collection of valuable works of art from around the world." — Rockstar Games, GTA Online Title Update 1.73
Your first completion of the week is where the money is. A clean solo stealth run pays roughly GTA$2,000,000 to GTA$2,250,000, with the primary painting alone worth GTA$1,925,000 and secondary artwork stacking on top up to a theoretical GTA$2.65M if you have the loot-bag space. A verified solo stealth run this week banked GTA$2,182,000.
The catch is the repeat mechanic, and it is brutal. Once you have cashed that first-of-the-week completion, every subsequent run drops to about GTA$400,000 gross, minus the GTA$100,000 replay fee, leaving roughly GTA$300,000 net. That is an ~80% cliff. Replaying within 15 minutes of your handler Raf's call triggers Hard Mode for a +10% bump, but with tougher lasers and vault-hacking — not enough to change the maths.
Three hard numbers to remember for Kortz:
- First weekly run: ~GTA$2.2M (the reason to run it at all).
- Every repeat: ~GTA$300K net (the reason not to grind it).
- Buy-in: ~GTA$16.2M — the cheapest Mansion (The Tongva Estate at GTA$11,500,000) plus the GTA$4,700,000 Art Studio upgrade. GTA+ members can cut that to around GTA$13M with property discounts.
Solo is fully viable — the host keeps the full payout and any helpers earn a flat ~GTA$100,000 — but solo players are locked out of a few of the highest-value secondary targets. For the full walkthrough, see our Kortz Center Heist guide.
How much does the Cayo Perico Heist pay in 2026?
Cayo Perico is the four-year veteran: a solo-friendly island heist launched from the Kosatka submarine, which costs a one-time GTA$2,200,000. That low buy-in is a big part of why it is still the default money method for most players.
Your payout depends on which primary target spawns. These are the post-1.73 values — Title Update 1.73, the same update that added Kortz, cut Cayo's top targets:
| Primary target | Normal | Hard Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Sinsimito Tequila | $630,000 | $693,000 |
| Ruby Necklace | $700,000 | $770,000 |
| Bearer Bonds | $770,000 | $847,000 |
| Pink Diamond (nerfed) | $910,000 | $1,001,000 |
| Panther Statue (event only) | $1,900,000 | $2,090,000 |
The Pink Diamond used to pay about GTA$1.3M; TU 1.73 cut it to GTA$910,000 — a ~30% drop that Polygon and IGN both flagged as a stealth nerf that never made the official patch notes.
On top of the primary, a solo player can grab GTA$500K or more in secondary loot — cocaine is the best solo option at roughly GTA$220,000–$225,000 per stack, ahead of paintings (~$190K–$200K), weed (~$145K–$150K) and cash (~$85K–$90K). After Pavel's 2% cut and the Cartel's 10% fencing fee (about 12% skimmed total), a realistic solo run nets GTA$1,000,000–$1,500,000 on a good primary in roughly 20–30 active minutes. Finish in under 15 minutes with full loot and no deaths and you also pocket the GTA$200,000 Elite Challenge bonus.
Here is the important catch for grinders: TU 1.73 also biased repeat runs hard toward the low-value Sinsimito Tequila — roughly 80% of same-week repeats now spawn Tequila, with the target rotation resetting every Thursday instead of the old rolling 3-day window. So your best Cayo payday lands on the first good target of the week, and repeats after that skew lower — but even a Tequila run with full secondary loot still nets around GTA$800K–1M, which is more than double a Kortz repeat. The cooldown is the same 2 hours 24 minutes solo (or 48 minutes helping another host).
Cayo is still one of the best money methods in the game, just not the untouchable king it once was. We covered exactly what changed in our Cayo Perico nerf breakdown, and the fastest solo route in our Cayo Perico solo money guide.
Which GTA Online heist pays more per hour?
This is where the comparison flips depending on your play session.
For one big score per session, Kortz wins. That first weekly run pays ~GTA$2.2M in a 75–100 minute run — roughly GTA$1.3M–$1.5M per hour — and it is a single, clean, high-value hit. Nothing else in GTA Online drops that much in one go outside of a full-crew Cayo with the Panther Statue.
For repeated back-to-back runs, Cayo wins by a mile. A practised solo player clears Cayo in 20–30 active minutes — well over GTA$2M per hour on a good first target, and even the low-value Tequila repeats the post-1.73 rotation throws at you still net ~GTA$800K–1M each. Kortz simply cannot compete here: once you have taken your weekly bonus, its ~GTA$300K repeats are less than half a single Cayo run.
So the real answer to "which pays more" is a schedule, not a single heist:
- Weekly: run Kortz Center once for the ~GTA$2.2M first-of-the-week bonus.
- Daily grind: run Cayo Perico on repeat — ~GTA$1–1.5M on the week's good target, ~GTA$800K–1M on the Tequila repeats.
- Never grind Kortz repeats when Cayo is available — you would be trading an ~GTA$800K–1M run for a GTA$300K one.
Community sentiment lines up with the numbers. Players on r/gtaonline broadly describe Kortz as a fun, "Casino-lite" once-a-week event rather than a grind, while long-time earners point out that a stocked set of businesses plus Cayo runs still out-earns hammering the same heist over and over.
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Which heist should a new or returning player pick?
If you are rebuilding a bank balance, the buy-in cost decides it. Cayo's GTA$2.2M Kosatka is reachable within a few sessions; Kortz's ~GTA$16.2M Mansion + Art Studio is a serious investment that only pays back if you keep running it weekly.
- Low on cash / new player: buy the Kosatka first, grind Cayo, and only save toward a Mansion once you are comfortably into eight figures.
- Already own a Mansion: the Art Studio is a no-brainer — you unlock a ~GTA$2.2M weekly bonus for GTA$4.7M, paid back in roughly two weeks.
- Established player with both: run the ideal weekly loop — Kortz once, Cayo for the rest, businesses stocked in the background.
If you would rather skip the multi-week grind to that first Mansion — or just want a clean cash cushion before GTA 6 lands — topping up directly is the fastest route:
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Whatever you buy, spend the cash on the businesses that keep earning while you play — see our best businesses to buy in GTA Online breakdown to put it to work.
The bottom line: Kortz for the score, Cayo for the grind
Neither heist is strictly "better" — they solve different problems. Kortz Center is the best single payday in GTA Online at ~GTA$2.2M a week, but its repeat cliff and GTA$16M buy-in make it a poor farm. Cayo Perico is the best repeatable earner, cheaper to unlock and still netting ~GTA$800K–1.5M per run despite the 1.73 nerf. Own both, run Kortz weekly, grind Cayo daily, and keep your businesses stocked — that combination out-earns either heist alone heading into the GTA 6 launch window.
FAQ
Which heist pays more, Kortz Center or Cayo Perico? For a single run, the Kortz Center Heist pays more — about GTA$2.0–2.25M on your first clean solo run of the week, versus GTA$1.0–1.5M for a solo Cayo Perico. But Cayo pays more over a full session because Kortz repeat runs collapse to ~GTA$300K net, while even nerfed Cayo repeats still net ~GTA$800K–1M each.
Is the Kortz Center Heist worth the GTA$16 million setup? Only if you will run it weekly. The Mansion (from GTA$11.5M) plus the GTA$4.7M Art Studio pays back the ~GTA$2.2M weekly bonus in roughly two weeks, then it is profit. If you can only run it occasionally, put the money into a Kosatka and Cayo instead.
How much does the Cayo Perico Heist pay solo in 2026? A realistic solo run nets GTA$1,000,000–$1,500,000 after fees, depending on the primary target (GTA$630K for Tequila up to GTA$1.9M for the event-only Panther Statue) plus ~GTA$500K in secondary loot. That is repeatable on a 2h 24m solo cooldown, or 48 minutes helping another host.
Can you do both heists solo? Yes. Both the Kortz Center Heist and Cayo Perico are fully solo-capable — the host keeps the full payout in each. Solo players lose access to a few of the highest-value Kortz secondary targets, but the primary score is unaffected.
Did the July 2026 update nerf Cayo Perico? Yes. Title Update 1.73, which added the Kortz Center Heist, also trimmed Cayo Perico's payouts and secondary loot spawns. Cayo is still one of the best money methods in the game, just not at its former peak — full details are in our Cayo Perico nerf breakdown.
What is the fastest way to afford a Mansion for the Kortz Center Heist? Grind Cayo Perico for GTA$1–1.5M per run, keep your businesses stocked and selling, or top up your balance directly through timesaver.gg GTA 5 Money to skip straight to the ~GTA$16M buy-in.
