Money makes the world go 'round — this is no different in the magical world, and certainly not in the Victorian era, where how much money one has determines their position in life, in society, and their potential for mobility. To that end, we've developed a broad system to better understand the value of money on Charming, and just how far your galleons, sickles, and knuts are able to go.
Wizarding Britain makes use of three coins: the galleon (G), the sickle (s), and the knut (k). Each has a rough real-world equivalent, which has been further roughly converted to modern day value for your benefit. See below the value of the 1888 magical currency and their modern equivalents in GBP and USD.
| G | s | k | £ | $ |
| 1G | 17s | 493k | £100 | $142 |
| .06G | 1s | 29k | £5.88 | $8.34 |
| 0.002G | 0.03s | 1k | £0.20 | $0.28 |
Given these values, most characters will not carry galleons around with them unless anticipating a particularly large purchase—in fact, during this era it was common for the upper crust to deal in credit, rather than cash, much as our society often does today!
For your convenience, jobs have been assigned to one of seven levels, with one being the highest and seven the lowest. Not all potential jobs will be listed—consider what work might be similar or have similar class/education expectations when trying to work out your character's income. You can always ask if unsure!
| Level One
These individuals make 20G weekly. | — Minister of Magic
— Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot |
| Level Two
These jobs make between 14G and 19G weekly. | —Ministry Department Heads (high end)
— Ministry Assistant Heads (low end) — Ministry Committee Members (low end) — Hospital Director |
| Level Three
These jobs make between 10G and 14G weekly. | — Ministry of Magic Squad, Division, Unit, & Bureau Heads
— Healers-in-Charge (high end) — Head Librarian — Museum Director — Aurors (low end) |
| Level Four
These jobs make between 7G and 10G weekly. | — Ministry of Magic Departmental Workers (start low, build up to high with experience)
— Wizengamot Honourarium — Healers (high end) — Head Mediwizard (low end) — Prophet Head Reporters — Quidditch Captains & Coaches — Established (7+ years) Professors — Curse Breakers (low end, but finders fees can take up to high end) — Librarians; Museum Curators (start low, build up to high with experience) |
| Level Five
These jobs make between 4G8s and 7G weekly. | — Ministry Interns
— Hospital Interns — Mediwizards — Newer Professors (< 7 years) — Skilled Tradespeople — First String Quidditch Players — Low-Level Ministry Employees (secretaries, trainee aurors, clerks, scribes, etc.) — Governess to MC (low end) and UC (high end) children — Butlers, Housekeepers, and Cooks in UC households (low end) — Junior Librarian (start low, build up to high with experience) — Museum Tour Guide — ~Fancy Prostitutes |
| Level Six
These jobs make between 3G2s and 4G8s weekly. | — Reserve Quidditch Player
— Trainee Mediwizards — Prophet Reporters — Most Prostitutes — Skilled Shop Workers — Valets, Lady's Maids, and Head Gardeners in US homes (high end) — Butlers, Cooks, and Housekeepers in MC homes (low end) — Nannies — All Summer Interns |
| Level Seven
These jobs make between 12s and 3G2s weekly. | — General Shop Workers
— Welcome Witches, Maids, Servers — Maintenance and Labour Jobs — Shoddy Prostitutes — All Other Domestic Servants |
The Victorian era saw wealth and status inescapably intertwined. Maintaining the trappings of an upper- or middle-class lifestyle did not come cheap, and often the illusion of wealth could be just as important as the actual having of it. Pay level four could support, without aid, a modest MC lifestyle—a wife, two to three children, and an all-purpose maid—but pay level two would be required to propel an individual from WC to MC status. Appearance, after all, is everything, and "new money" can so quickly become "no money".
For the most part, it was birth or marriage that determined class, but a sharp downturn in finances could easily plunge a family into a world they had never anticipated. The easiest way to move up in class was marriage, and even that option was usually only available to women because in most cases a woman took on her husband's social standing.
Many thanks to the following sources:
HP Lexicon
Measuring Worth
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