How to make money as Vampire Coast

Vampire Coast's fastest-paying building in Total War: Warhammer III is the Slave Pits (Income, level 1): 500 gold for +100 gold a turn, its cost back in 5 turns once built. The most gold from one building slot is the Pirate Wharf at +800 a turn (10,600 gold to build the chain that far, back in 13.3 turns). 15 Vampire Coast building levels make flat income, patch 9.0.4.

Fastest payback

Turns of income to earn the building's cost back (each chain's fastest level).

1Slave PitsIncome 1 · 500 gold → +100 a turn · Any settlement5turns
2Gold MineGold Mining 1 · 1,000 gold → +150 a turn · Region with the resource6.7turns
3Pirate WharfPort 3 · 6,000 gold → +800 a turn · Port settlement7.5turns
4Hoard of BootyBuried Treasure 3 · 2,000 gold → +200 a turn · Any settlement10turns
5Haunted MillPastures 1 · 1,000 gold → +100 a turn · Region with the resource10turns
6Buccaneer’s TavernPublic Order 3 · 3,000 gold → +60 a turn · Any settlement50turns

Most gold per building slot

Income of each chain's top level; the line shows that level's own cost.

1Pirate WharfPort 3 · 6,000 gold → +800 a turn · Port settlement+800a turn
2Buried Treasure ChestBuried Treasure 5 · 4,000 gold → +300 a turn · Any settlement+300a turn
3Meat MarketIncome 2 · 1,500 gold → +200 a turn · Any settlement+200a turn
4Gold MineGold Mining 1 · 1,000 gold → +150 a turn · Region with the resource+150a turn
5Haunted MillPastures 1 · 1,000 gold → +100 a turn · Region with the resource+100a turn
6Buccaneer’s TavernPublic Order 3 · 3,000 gold → +60 a turn · Any settlement+60a turn

COMPUTEDIncome = the level's flat gold per turn (the game's “Income generated” effects on the building itself, table building_effects_junction) minus its upkeep (building_levels.upkeep_cost). Payback = cost (create_cost) ÷ income. Upgrade payback = the level's cost ÷ the income it adds over the level below. “Gold back by turn” = build turns (create_time) + payback, counted from the order. Chain total = every level's cost up to this one, and its payback = that total ÷ income. Patch 9.0.4.

ASSUMPTIONS

Base values: technologies, lord skills, commandments, campaign difficulty and faction effects that change income or building costs are not counted.
Percentage boosts (“+4% income from all buildings in the province”, “+20% (local region)”) are not in the payback: they depend on the buildings they boost. They are listed below with the income those buildings need to make.
Conditional income (“When Control is 75 or more”, “When enemy Lord is present”…) is not counted; listed below in the game's words.
Resource buildings need a region with that resource; ports need a port settlement. A slot can hold one building, so late in a campaign gold per slot matters more than payback.

Every Vampire Coast building that makes gold (15)

#
1	Slave Pits	Income	1	500	1	100	5	—	6	Any settlement
2	Gold Mine	Gold Mining	1	1,000	2	150	6.70	—	8.70	Region with the resource
3	Meat Market	Income	2	1,500	3	200	7.50	15	10.50	Any settlement
4	Smugglers' Landing	Port	1	1,500	2	200	7.50	7.50	9.50	Port settlement
5	Smugglers' Jetty	Port	2	3,000	4	400	7.50	15	11.50	Port settlement
6	Pirate Wharf	Port	3	6,000	6	800	7.50	15	13.50	Port settlement
7	Haunted Mill	Pastures	1	1,000	2	100	10	—	12	Region with the resource
8	Plunder Pile	Buried Treasure	1	1,000	1	100	10	—	11	Any settlement
9	Swag Sacks	Buried Treasure	2	1,500	2	150	10	30	12	Any settlement
10	Hoard of Booty	Buried Treasure	3	2,000	3	200	10	40	13	Any settlement
11	Bullion Coffers	Buried Treasure	4	3,000	4	250	12	60	16	Any settlement
12	Buried Treasure Chest	Buried Treasure	5	4,000	5	300	13.30	80	18.30	Any settlement
13	Midnight Gambling Den	Public Order	2	2,000	3	40	50	100	53	Any settlement
14	Buccaneer’s Tavern	Public Order	3	3,000	4	60	50	150	54	Any settlement
15	Scurvy Dog Pits	Public Order	1	1,500	2	20	75	—	77	Any settlement

Main building levels

Settlement upgrades make gold too, but they also cost growth (population surplus) and open building slots, so payback alone undersells them. Province capitals and minor settlements are separate chains.

#
1	Slums of the Cursed	Provincial Capital	1	1,000	—	100	—
2	Ghetto of the Cursed	Minor Settlement	1	1,000	—	30	—
3	Haunted Shanty Town	Provincial Capital	2	2,000	1	200	20
4	Haunted Hovels	Minor Settlement	2	2,000	1	45	133.30
5	Dead Pirates' Holdout	Provincial Capital	3	4,000	2	300	40
6	Dead Pirates' Hamlet	Minor Settlement	3	4,000	2	60	266.70
7	Dead Pirates' Lair	Provincial Capital	4	8,000	4	400	80
8	Dead Pirates' Stronghold	Provincial Capital	5	16,000	5	500	160

Every level's full effects: Vampire Coast buildings.