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What marriage adds to your shop and home
The community-edited Skyrim Wiki marriage overview describes a spouse shop that lets you collect earnings and trade with your spouse, daily home-cooked meals, and the option to live at either the spouse’s home or the player’s home. These sources describe a shop benefit and a trading interaction; they do not establish that marriage creates a separate, visible storefront building.
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An older GameFAQs Skyrim Special Edition character guide reports the spouse-shop benefit as 100 gold per day. A 2022 Steam Community discussion quotes UESP as describing “100 gold or more a day” accumulating over time. Because that is a participant quoting a source rather than the directly consulted UESP page, treat it as secondary corroboration, not a guaranteed current payout. Neither source establishes that one spouse earns more than another.
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How to choose a spouse for your priorities
| Priority | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Whether the candidate has a home, and whether you want to live there or move them into a player-owned home. | Marriage allows a choice of shared home, according to the community-edited Skyrim Wiki overview. |
| Follower | Whether the candidate can accompany you and whether you want a spouse who travels with you. | Follower availability is a practical difference between candidates; it does not establish a higher shop payout. |
| Merchant | Whether the candidate already has a merchant role. | Some guides distinguish naturally trading characters from those who are not merchants, but the sources do not show that merchant status changes the spouse-shop earnings. |
| Unlock effort | The quest, favor, or game progress required before marriage dialogue is available. | Prerequisites vary by character; confirm the candidate’s current requirements before planning around them. |
| Income | Whether you mainly want the general spouse-shop feature or are expecting a particular amount. | The reported daily figure comes from older or secondary guidance, and no spouse-by-spouse payout comparison is established. |
The older candidate roundup at Elder Souls is useful for comparing traits such as property, follower status, merchant role, and marriage conditions, but it is not a current authoritative roster. Use it as a starting point and check requirements against your game progress and setup.
#1 Best Overall
- Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year Awards, Skyrim Special Edition brings the epic fantasy to life in stunning detail.
- The Special Edition includes the critically acclaimed game and add-ons with all-new features.
- All-new features include remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections, and more.
- Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes, use of alcohol
Two examples from older candidate lists
Aela the Huntress: consider her for a follower-oriented playthrough
The Elder Souls roundup lists Aela as a follower, merchant, and trainer. That combination may suit a player who values having a spouse available to travel alongside them. It does not prove that she pays more shop income than other spouses, and her marriage requirements should be checked in the context of your current progress.
Aeri: consider her if a listed home and favor condition fit your plan
The same roundup lists Aeri with a home and a favor condition. That makes her a possible fit for someone weighing a candidate’s home and unlock effort. The listing is older, so verify the condition in your game rather than treating it as a version-independent guarantee.
Rank #2
- EPIC FANTASY REBORN - Skyrim reimagines and revolutionizes the open-world fantasy epic, bringing to life a complete virtual world open for you to explore any way you choose.
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- BATTLE DRAGONS - Battle ancient dragons like you’ve never seen. As Dragonborn, learn their secrets and harness their power for yourself.
- INCLUDED CONTENT - The Anniversary Edition includes the core game, pre-existing and new Creation Club content, plus all three official add-ons: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn.
How much should shop income influence the decision?
Think of the shop as a general marriage benefit rather than a spouse-specific investment. If your main goal is passive earnings, the sources support only a reported daily shop amount—not a reliable ranking among spouses or a confirmed payout that applies identically to every edition and setup. Choose first for home, companionship, and unlock conditions; do not select a spouse on the assumption that a particular candidate will earn more.
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Best Value
- Live Another Life, In Another World: Play any type of character you can imagine, and do whatever you want; the freedom of choice, storytelling, and adventure of The Elder Scrolls comes to life in one legendary experience from all three official add-ons.
- Dawnguard: The Vampire Lord Harkon has returned to power. By using the Elder Scrolls, he seeks to do the unthinkable - to end the sun itself. Will you join the ancient order of the Dawnguard and stop him? Or will you become a Vampire Lord?
- Hearthfire: Purchase land and build your own home from the ground up - from a simple one-room cottage to a sprawling compound complete with an armory, alchemy laboratory, and more.
- Dragonborn: Journey off the coast of Morrowind, to the vast island of Solstheim. Traverse the ash wastes and glacial valleys of this new land as you become more powerful with shouts that bend the will of your enemies and even tame dragons.
Rank #4
- Winner of more than 200 game of the year awards, Skyrim special edition brings the epic fantasy to life in stunning detail
- The special edition includes the critically acclaimed game and add-ons with all-new features
- All-new features include remastered art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field, screen-space reflections, and more
- Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Blood and gore, intense violence, sexual themes, use of alcohol
Rank #3
- ANNIVERSARY EDITION CONTENT — Includes the base game, Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn, and hundreds of Creation Club items such as quests, weapons, armor, spells, and dungeons.
- SWITCH 2 ENHANCEMENTS — Explore Skyrim with updated visuals, improved load times, and optimized performance for Nintendo Switch 2.
- SHAPE YOUR ADVENTURE — Choose your character and decide how to play in an open world that responds to your actions.
- BUILD YOUR CHARACTER — Choose from hundreds of weapons, spells, and abilities to define your play style.
- BATTLE DRAGONS — Face ancient dragons as the Dragonborn, learn their secrets, and harness their power.
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