Quick answer: The best solo business you can buy in GTA Online for under GTA$1,000,000 is the Acid Lab. It costs GTA$750,000 to convert the Brickade 6x6 you earn free from Dax's First Dose missions, and a full upgraded stock of 160 units sells for GTA$335,200. You sell it alone on one delivery bike. Second place is a Clubhouse plus Custom Bike Shop (GTA$730,000 total) for GTA$50,000 Bike Service jobs. Third is a Weed Farm (GTA$915,000 with the cheapest Clubhouse). Skip Document Forgery. This week only (through November 11), a Facility drops to about GTA$750,000 at 40% off.
All prices below are base, non-sale prices checked against the GTA Wiki on November 6, 2026. They are the cheapest location for each property, because location does not change what a production business makes.
Which cheap GTA Online businesses can you actually buy under GTA$1M?
Most of the famous money-makers are out of budget. The Kosatka costs GTA$2,200,000, the Agency GTA$2,010,000 and the Auto Shop GTA$1,670,000. Even the cheapest Nightclub (GTA$1,080,000) and Bunker (GTA$1,165,000) sit just over the line. That leaves a short list.
| Rank | Business | Entry cost (cheapest) | Cost fully upgraded | Full-sale / job payout | Solo-friendly? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acid Lab | GTA$750,000 | GTA$1,000,000 | GTA$237,600 base / GTA$335,200 upgraded | Yes, one bike |
| 2 | Clubhouse + Custom Bike Shop | GTA$730,000 | GTA$730,000 | GTA$50,000 profit per Bike Service job | Yes |
| 3 | Clubhouse + Weed Farm | GTA$915,000 | over GTA$1M | GTA$210,000 local / GTA$315,000 far (upgraded) | Mostly, small sales |
| 4 | Clubhouse + Document Forgery | GTA$850,000 | over GTA$1M | GTA$105,000 local / GTA$157,500 far (upgraded) | Yes, but weak |
Two more cheap money options are not production businesses, so they sit outside the ranking: a Facility at about GTA$750,000 this week only (40% off, hosts The Doomsday Heist), and Street Dealers, which cost nothing extra and buy stock you already own. Both are covered below.
The MC rows include the Great Chaparral Clubhouse at GTA$200,000, the cheapest of the 12 Clubhouses on Maze Bank Foreclosures. You need a Clubhouse before you can buy any MC business.
Why is the Acid Lab the best solo business under GTA$1M?
Because it is the only business in this price range with a real payout, a one-player sale and a cheap way in. Rockstar's in-game help text sums up the loop: "This is your Acid Lab. From here you can source, manufacture and sell Acid to earn additional income." The numbers back it up.
- Entry: finish Dax's six First Dose missions, which end with stealing the Brickade 6x6 in "Off the Rails". Next, play the Setup: Acid Lab Equipment mission to steal the lab gear. Then pay Mutt GTA$750,000 at The Freakshop to convert the truck. Buying the Brickade outright at Warstock costs GTA$1,450,000, so the mission route saves you GTA$700,000.
- GTA+ note: older guides still say the conversion is free for GTA+ members. The GTA Wiki records that it was "initially provided free" for GTA+, so plan on paying GTA$750,000 unless the current month's GTA+ benefits say otherwise.
- Payout: a full stock is 160 units. Without the upgrade each unit sells for GTA$1,485 (GTA$237,600 full). With the Equipment Upgrade it is GTA$2,095 per unit, or GTA$335,200 full, and GTA$351,840 if you have named your product.
- Speed: a full stock takes 6 hours to produce without the upgrade and 4 hours with it. A once-a-day production boost at the lab table cuts that to 3 hours.
- Sale: the Acid Lab carries its own Manchez Scout C delivery bike. One player, one vehicle, no second car to lose to griefers.
The Equipment Upgrade costs GTA$250,000 and unlocks after 10 Fooligan Jobs, so the full build is exactly GTA$1,000,000. Gross, that pays for itself in about three full upgraded sales.
How much do Acid Lab supplies cost?
Supplies cost GTA$600 per unit, or GTA$12,000 per fifth of the bar and GTA$60,000 for a full bar. Bought supplies arrive in 10 real minutes. Before the upgrade the lab uses 2 units of supplies for every unit of product, which is why the base Acid Lab margin is thin if you buy everything. Run the resupply missions yourself while you wait for the Fooligan unlock, then buy supplies once you are upgraded and your time is worth more.
Full Acid Lab walkthrough and sell tips: GTA Online Acid Lab guide.
Is a Clubhouse with the Custom Bike Shop worth it on a budget?
Yes, if you like short, fixed-pay jobs instead of waiting on production. The Great Chaparral Clubhouse costs GTA$200,000 and the Custom Bike Shop renovation costs GTA$530,000, for GTA$730,000 total. Its in-game listing doesn't oversell it: "We all thought there was a rock bottom, but nope, it turns out the value of a place like this just falls and falls!"
The shop unlocks Bike Service, added in The Criminal Enterprises update. Malc sends customer bikes to your Clubhouse; you pay GTA$10,000 to service one, deliver it, and collect GTA$60,000. That is GTA$50,000 profit per job, plus or minus up to GTA$5,000 for extra upgrades (GTA Wiki, Bike Service). You don't need to be registered as MC President, but you can't be a CEO while you deliver.
The Clubhouse also opens Clubhouse Contracts, where Jailbreak (GTA$20,000+) and Gunrunning (GTA$15,000+) are the solo-friendly ones, and it earns a small bar income once you resupply the bar (added in The Criminal Enterprises; no Bike Shop needed). It is also the key you need for every MC business below, so the money is never wasted.
Is the Weed Farm a good cheap business in GTA Online?
It's the best MC business you can afford under GTA$1M, but it is slow. The San Chianski Mountain Range Weed Farm costs GTA$715,000. Add the GTA$200,000 Clubhouse and you are in at GTA$915,000.
With the Equipment and Staff upgrades, a full Weed Farm (80 bundles at one every 4 minutes) sells for GTA$210,000 locally or GTA$315,000 across the map. That works out to roughly GTA$16,875 an hour local and GTA$36,563 an hour far, net of bought supplies. Two catches:
- Those upgrades push you past GTA$1M. Bought bare, the farm earns well below those figures until you can afford them.
- Big sales need more than one vehicle. Keep each sale to 20 bundles or fewer if you sell alone, so it fits in a single vehicle.
It also only produces while you're in an online session. Logged off, nothing accrues. That is the number one "my business is broken" complaint on r/gtaonline. Full MC numbers for every business are in our MC businesses ranked by profit.
Should you buy a Facility at 40% off this week?
Only if you want to host The Doomsday Heist. Facilities normally cost GTA$1,250,000 to GTA$2,950,000. Rockstar's November 5 Heist Event puts every Facility and its upgrades at 40% off through November 11, so the cheapest one drops to about GTA$750,000. The same event doubles first-time completion bonuses on every Doomsday act.
A Facility is not a production business. It is a heist planning room, and Doomsday is best with a crew. Solo players who just want steady cash should still take the Acid Lab first. Everything else in this week's event: GTA Online weekly update, November 5 to 11. Payouts per act: Doomsday Heist payouts.
Is Document Forgery worth buying in 2026?
No. It's the cheapest MC business and the worst earner. The Grapeseed office costs GTA$650,000 (GTA$850,000 with the Clubhouse). Fully upgraded, a full stock of 60 boxes sells for just GTA$105,000 local or GTA$157,500 far, about GTA$5,000 an hour locally, net of bought supplies. The Acid Lab makes more than double that per sale for GTA$100,000 less.
If you want an MC business on a budget, put the same money toward the Weed Farm instead: GTA$65,000 more buys twice the full-stock value.
Do Street Dealers count as a free business?
They're a free way to cash out stock, not a business you buy. Three dealers spawn each day, each buying up to 1 cocaine, 2 meth, 10 weed and 10 acid, and the starred product pays double its normal dealer price. If you own the Acid Lab, they turn spare units into quick cash between full sales. They don't replace a full sell mission. Full rules: GTA Online Street Dealers guide.
What should you buy first with your first GTA$1 million?
Here is the order we'd follow for a solo player starting from zero:
- Run the First Dose missions (free) and convert the Brickade for GTA$750,000. Start producing acid right away.
- Grind 10 Fooligan Jobs while the first batch cooks. They unlock the GTA$250,000 Equipment Upgrade, which lifts a full sale from GTA$237,600 to GTA$335,200.
- Sell full stocks and use Street Dealers for the leftovers.
- Next purchase above GTA$1M: a Nightclub (from GTA$1,080,000) for its popularity safe, which pays up to GTA$50,000 per in-game day at full popularity, or a Bunker (from GTA$1,165,000). The Nightclub's passive warehouse goods only come from linked feeder businesses such as MC businesses or a Bunker; the Acid Lab does not feed it. See best businesses to buy, ranked by profit per hour and passive income ranked.
GTA+ members also get a GTA$500,000 deposit each month, which covers two-thirds of the Acid Lab conversion on its own.
Why do players still pick the Acid Lab over "better" businesses?
In a recent r/gtaonline thread asking which business is the most fun to own on a budget, the most common answer was simply the Acid Lab. Players said its sell missions are quick and hard to grief, and you can't trivialise them with an Oppressor. One player recommended going straight into the Fooligan Jobs after the unlock because the upgrade is "absolutely worth it", even if Dax wears on you. The runner-up was the Vehicle Cargo warehouse, but only for players who already own a CEO Office (GTA$1,000,000 by itself), so it falls outside this budget (source thread).
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FAQ
What is the cheapest business to buy in GTA Online? The cheapest buy-in is the Great Chaparral Clubhouse at GTA$200,000, but on its own it only pays through Clubhouse Contracts and small bar income. The cheapest real production business is the Document Forgery Office at GTA$650,000, and the cheapest one worth owning is the Acid Lab at GTA$750,000.
Is the Acid Lab still free for GTA+ members? Not by default. The conversion was free for GTA+ members when the Acid Lab launched, and the GTA Wiki describes that waiver as "initially provided free". Budget the full GTA$750,000 unless that month's GTA+ benefits list says otherwise.
How much does a full Acid Lab sell for? A full 160-unit stock sells for GTA$237,600 without the Equipment Upgrade and GTA$335,200 with it. Naming your product raises the upgraded figure to GTA$351,840.
Can you run the Acid Lab completely solo? Yes. Supplies, production and selling all work with one player, and every sale uses the Acid Lab's own delivery bike.
What is the best GTA Online business for a new solo player? The Acid Lab, then the Equipment Upgrade after 10 Fooligan Jobs. Together they cost exactly GTA$1,000,000 and repay that in about three full sales before supply costs.
Do GTA Online businesses make money while you're offline? No. Production businesses such as the Acid Lab and MC businesses only make product while you are in an online session.
