Short answer: Cayo Perico wins for solo grinders, Diamond Casino wins for organized duos or trios on good vault loot. Since Rockstar's cooldown and target rotation changes, you cannot spam Cayo anymore, but a disciplined loop still beats trying to duo Casino if you lack chemistry. If you have two or three competent friends and pull Gold or Diamonds in the vault, Casino edges out Cayo on per-player hourly returns.
Ranked today for pure money: 1) Cayo Perico Solo, 2) Diamond Casino Duo or Trio, 3) Cayo Perico with a crew focused on secondary gold inside the compound. Cayo's strength is self-reliance and consistent primary-target money, while Casino's strength is scaling team income when you secure high-value vault contents and keep crew cuts lean. Exact figures shift with title updates and event weeks, so confirm the current values in-game before you plan a grind.
Cayo Perico basics: buy a Kosatka, scope the island, steal a primary target. Typical solo net per run ranges about 1.0m-1.9m depending on the primary (Tequila low end, Panther statue only appears occasionally and spikes the top end) and what secondary loot you can bag. Since the mid-2023 balance pass, most players report a solo replay cooldown in the 2-hour-plus range; groups see a shorter cooldown. Fast solo heist time is 12-18 minutes, but the cooldown means your effective hourly comes from mixing in other activities between runs. Expect roughly 550k-900k per real-time hour if you are efficient and lucky on targets.
Diamond Casino basics: buy an Arcade, prep a Silent and Sneaky or Big Con approach, and hit the vault. Vault contents vary: Cash is weakest, Gold is very good, Diamonds only show up during limited events. A clean duo or trio with minimal support crew can pull around 2.1m-3.6m gross, then you lose Lester's cut (about 5 percent), support crew cuts, and player splits. After all cuts and a fair 50-50 or 33-33-33 split, many lobbies land near 700k-1.2m per player per run on Gold or Diamonds, often taking 45-75 minutes including key preps. With no forced cooldown, practiced teams can chain runs and average roughly 600k-1.1m per player per hour.
Verdict you can act on: If you mostly play solo, prioritize Cayo Perico. Buy the Kosatka first, learn a silent compound route, and fold other money makers into the cooldown window. If you have a reliable duo or trio, push Diamond Casino on Gold or Diamonds weeks and keep support crew cuts tight. If the vault rolls Cash and your team is rusty, do Cayo instead and check the vault again later.
