SimCity BuildIt looks simple at first, but once your city starts growing, coins become the biggest bottleneck. Many players search for shortcuts, hacks, or mod APKs, but those methods either don’t work or ruin long-term progress. Instead, I focused on in-game mechanics only and tested multiple strategies to earn coins faster and expand my city efficiently.
This guide combines practical methods I used over multiple gameplay sessions. Nothing here requires hacks, mods, or external tools — only patience, consistency, and smart city management.
Understanding the Main Currencies in SimCity BuildIt
Before optimizing earnings, it’s important to understand the main resources:
- Simoleons (Coins): Core currency used for buildings, upgrades, and expansion.
- SimCash (Green Cash): Premium currency earned slowly through tasks, ads, and bonuses.
- Rare Items: Expansion and storage items that indirectly affect growth speed.
The goal is not just to earn coins, but to use them in a way that accelerates city growth.
The gameplay demonstrations used to test these strategies are shown in the video slider below.
1. Never Skip Video Ads (They Add Up)
One of the most ignored features is video ads. While they only take about 30 seconds, they frequently reward SimCash or useful items. Even when SimCash doesn’t drop, the rewards can be converted into progress later.
I made it a habit to watch ads whenever they appeared. Over time, these small rewards stacked into a noticeable amount of SimCash.
2. Mayor’s Tasks and Daily Bonuses
Mayor contacts and daily tasks are extremely reliable sources of currency. These missions are usually simple: producing items, upgrading buildings, or completing small objectives.
Completing these tasks consistently provided steady SimCash and bonus items without slowing city growth.
3. Use Taxes as Passive Income
Once the tax department is unlocked, it becomes one of the most reliable coin sources. Even at low levels, taxes generate a steady flow of Simoleons.
As happiness increases and buildings upgrade, tax income scales automatically, making it stronger over time.
4. Sell Items Instead of Hoarding Them
Many players hesitate to sell produced items, fearing they might need them later. In reality, factories can always produce more. Selling excess items in the market creates fast liquidity.
I regularly sold surplus materials like metal, wood, and intermediate products. This alone generated a steady coin flow without affecting progress.
5. Upgrade Buildings to Increase Long-Term Earnings
Upgrading buildings may feel expensive, but it directly increases population, happiness, and tax income. The more upgrades you complete, the faster your city grows.
Instead of spreading upgrades randomly, I focused on completing upgrades in clusters to unlock better rewards faster.
6. Use Global Trade Smartly
Global Trade is one of the most powerful features when used correctly. Instead of waiting for factories to produce everything, I used the market to buy missing items and complete constructions faster.
This allowed me to finish multiple buildings quickly, gaining XP, population, and more expansion options.
7. Keep Storage Clean and Purposeful
A cluttered storage slows progress. I regularly cleared unnecessary items so I could accept new construction materials when needed.
Free storage space directly affects how efficiently you can expand your city.
8. Maintain City Happiness
Low happiness reduces income and slows growth. I constantly monitored happiness and ensured essential services like police, fire stations, and utilities were properly placed.
A happy city grows faster and earns more coins without extra effort.
9. Produce Long-Time Items Overnight
Items that take several hours to produce should be queued overnight. While sleeping, production continues, saving active playtime.
This simple habit dramatically improved efficiency and reduced idle factory time.
10. Beginner-Friendly Road Layout Matters
Early road layout decisions affect expansion speed. I used a simple grid-based design that separates residential areas, factories, and service buildings.
This reduced pollution, improved coverage, and kept the city organized for future expansion.
Final Thoughts
SimCity BuildIt rewards patience and smart planning. There are no instant shortcuts, but by consistently using these in-game strategies, I was able to earn coins faster and expand my city smoothly.
If you apply even a few of these methods regularly, city growth becomes much easier without relying on hacks or risky methods.
