Which one should you use?
While ¿cuánto cuesta? is used for a single item, you must use the plural form ¿cuánto cuestan? if you are asking about the price of multiple items.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many Latin American countries, the phrase ¿A cuánto está? is used to ask "at how much is it?" In parts of Central America and the Dominican Republic, the phrase ¿A cómo lo das? is used to ask "at how much are you giving it?"
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word cuánto must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies, taking the forms cuánta, cuántos or cuántas.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkwanto ˈkwesta/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often say ¿Cuánto es? to mean "How much is it?" While this is often grammatically acceptable in many contexts, ¿cuánto cuesta? is the more precise way to ask for the cost of an item.
Did you know?
- The word cuesta comes from the Latin word for 'rib' or 'side'. Over time, this shifted to mean a 'slope' or 'edge' before evolving into the modern sense of the 'cost' or effort of something.
- Spanish uses the same word cuánto to ask both 'how much' for an uncountable mass and 'how many' for a countable number of items.
- In many Spanish-speaking markets, sellers may respond to ¿cuánto cuesta? by stating the price for a specific weight or unit, such as a kilo or la docena, rather than the individual item.
Examples in context
- Me gusta el azul. ¿Cuánto cuesta?I like the blue one. How much does it cost?This sentence shows how to ask for the cost of a blue item.Tatoeba #5130062 by don_ramon, translation #436743 by lukaszpp
- Quiero comprar este libro. ¿Cuánto cuesta?I want to buy this book. How much is it?This sentence shows how to ask for the cost of a book.Tatoeba #13838654 by ecorralest101, translation #13838650 by ecorralest101
- ¿Cuánto cuesta?How much is it?This is a simple way to ask for the price.Tatoeba #436194 by lukaszpp, translation #2418 by brauliobezerra
- ¿Cuánto cuesta un café?How much does a coffee cost?
- ¿Cuántos boletos necesito?How many tickets do I need?
- ¿Cuánto cuesta la camiseta roja?How much does the red t-shirt cost?
- ¿Cuánto vale este libro?How much is this book worth?
- ¿Cuánto cuesta en pesos?How much does it cost in pesos?
- ¿Cuánto es en euros?How much is it in euros?
- ¿Cuánto es cinco por dos?How much is five times two?
- ¿Si cuesta veinte dólares, cuánto serían dos?If it costs twenty dollars, how much would two be?
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are at a fruit market.
- ElenaHola, Mateo. Esta manzana se ve muy rica. ¿Cuánto cuesta?Hi, Mateo. This apple looks very delicious. How much is it?
- MateoCuesta un euro el kilo, Elena.It costs one euro per kilo, Elena.
- ElenaEstá muy barato. Voy a llevar dos kilos.It is very cheap. I am going to take two kilos.
- MateoPerfecto, te ayudo con las bolsas.Perfect, I will help you with the bags.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how much” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (cuánto, cuesta) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuesta, cuánto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
