Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| costo | /ˈkosto/ | masculine |
| gasto | /ˈɡasto/ | masculine |
The term costo is used to refer to the amount of money spent for a specific purpose. You may also encounter precio, which is a common term for cost used in most Spanish-speaking countries or valor, which can denote cost in formal contexts to imply worth or cost. Additionally, if you wish to ask how much something costs, you can use the phrase ¿Cuánto cuesta?
Which one should you use?
While costo refers to the price or value of something, gasto refers to the actual money spent or an expenditure.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Costo is a term mainly used in Latin American countries. In Spain, coste is more commonly used than costo to refer to the price or cost of something. In a colloquial context in Spain, the word pasta is used to refer to money or the cost of something. In some Central American countries, such as El Salvador and Honduras, the slang term pisto is used for money.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun costo is related to the verb costar, which is used to express the price of an object. The plural form of costo is costos.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkosto/
When do people say it?
If you are shopping and wish to ask, "Can you lower the price for me?", you can use the phrase ¿Me lo puede rebajar?
Did you know?
- The word gasto shares its linguistic roots with the Latin vastāre, which means to lay waste or devastate.
- The verb costar is used not only for money but also to describe something that is difficult or takes a great effort to achieve.
- In Spain, if you want to talk about 'money' or 'cost' colloquially, you might use the word pasta, which literally translates to 'pasta' or 'dough'.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuál es el costo actual?What's the actual cost?This sentence is useful for asking about the current costo.Tatoeba #2440770 by hayastan, translation #2264470 by sharptoothed
- La libertad tiene un costo.Freedom has a cost.This sentence shows how freedom can have a costo.Tatoeba #4579084 by DarkHollow, translation #4577227 by smomo
- El gasto llegó a doce pesos.The cost amounted to twelve pesos.This sentence illustrates the use of gasto to describe an amount that reached twelve pesos.Tatoeba #2268075 by cueyayotl, translation #2268074 by _undertoad
- ¿Cuál es el precio de este vestido?What is the cost of this dress?
- El valor de esta casa es de $200,000The cost of this house is $200,000
- El costo del proyecto es bastante altoThe cost of the project is quite high
- La moto nueva vale mucha pastaThe new motorbike costs a lot of money
- ¿Cuánto cuesta esta camiseta?How much does this t-shirt cost?
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are discussing the budget for a new project.
- LucíaAlejandro, ¿sabes cuál es el costo de este proyecto?Alejandro, do you know what the cost of this project is?
- AlejandroAún no lo sé, pero lo investigaré pronto.I don't know yet, but I will investigate it soon.
- LucíaNecesito saberlo para completar el informe.I need to know it to complete the report.
- AlejandroTe daré el dato en la reunión de mañana.I will give you the data in tomorrow's meeting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cost” translations and entries costo, gasto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries costo, gasto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
