price
- cost
‘price’ and ‘cost’
The price or cost of something is the amount of money you must pay to buy it.
The price of oil doubled in a few months.
They are worried about the rising cost of food.
You can also use cost to refer to the amount of money needed to do or make something.
The cost of raising a child is very high.
The building was recently restored at a cost of £500,000.
Be careful
Don't use ‘price’ in this way. Don't say, for example, ‘The price of raising a child is very high.’
Don't use ‘price’ in this way. Don't say, for example, ‘The price of raising a child is very high.’
‘costs’
You use the plural noun costs when you are referring to the total amount of money needed to run something such as a business.
We need to cut our costs in order to make a profit.
Stores have had to raise their prices to cover increased costs.
‘cost’ used as a verb
You use cost as a verb to talk about the amount of money that you must pay for something.
The dress costs $200.
How much do these new phones cost?
You can use cost with two objects to say how much money someone pays for something on a particular occasion. The past tense and -ed participle of cost is cost.
A two-day stay there cost me $125.
How much did that haircut cost you?
Be careful
Don't use ‘to’ after cost in a sentence like this. Don't say, for example, ‘How much did that haircut cost to you?’
Don't use ‘to’ after cost in a sentence like this. Don't say, for example, ‘How much did that haircut cost to you?’