Clearly option 5 has the higest mean outcome. If you value money linearly (that is, $12 is exactly 3 times as good as $4, and there’s no special utility threshold along the way (or disutility at $0), it’s the best option.
For larger values, your value for money may be nonlinear (meaning: the difference between $0 and $50k may be much much larger than the difference between $500k and $550k to your happiness), and then you’ll need to convert the payouts to subjective value before doing the calculation. Likewise if you’re in a special circumstance where there’s a threshold value that has special value to you—if you need $3 for bus fare home, then option 1 or 2 become much more attractive.
Clearly option 5 has the higest mean outcome. If you value money linearly (that is, $12 is exactly 3 times as good as $4, and there’s no special utility threshold along the way (or disutility at $0), it’s the best option.
For larger values, your value for money may be nonlinear (meaning: the difference between $0 and $50k may be much much larger than the difference between $500k and $550k to your happiness), and then you’ll need to convert the payouts to subjective value before doing the calculation. Likewise if you’re in a special circumstance where there’s a threshold value that has special value to you—if you need $3 for bus fare home, then option 1 or 2 become much more attractive.