The expression coûter les yeux de la tête never describes a real payment with eyes. It functions as a very strong image to say that a price is enormous. Literally, one hears coûter + les yeux + de la tête, as if one had to give something as precious and impossible to replace as one’s own eyes. In reality, the phrase is used to say that something costs far too much. It is used for an object, a service, a meal or a trip, when the price seems disproportionate. This dress coûte les yeux de la tête means that it is very expensive, not that it is really worth making such a sacrifice. For other figurative expressions of this kind, we find the same taste for exaggeration in French idiomatic expressions.

ruineuxcoûterabordablevaloirexagéréune fortunehors de prixbudgetpayercher

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Nommer la somme qu on peut dépenser sans se mettre en difficultéDire qu une chose peut être très coûteuse pour le porte monnaieMontrer qu un objet mérite son prix ou nonFaire la dépense nécessaire pour obtenir quelque choseDire qu un prix est élevé par rapport à ce que l on peut payerQualifier quelque chose de trop cher pour être acheté facilementVouloir dire qu un objet demande une somme d argent pour être obtenuMontrer que le prix est bien plus haut que ce qui semble normalParler d une somme énorme quand on juge un prix excessifDire qu un prix est facile à payer

Figurative meaning of the expression in everyday life

Word	Definition
coûter	To mean that an object requires a sum of money to be obtained.
cher	To say that a price is high compared with what one can pay.
une fortune	To talk about an enormous sum when judging a price to be excessive.
exagéré	To show that the price is much higher than what seems normal.
abordable	To say that a price is easy to pay.
hors de prix	To describe something as too expensive to be purchased easily.
budget	To name the amount that one can spend without getting into difficulty.
payer	To make the necessary expenditure to obtain something.
valoir	To show whether an object deserves its price or not.
ruineux	To say that something can be very costly for the wallet.

Scramble

We mainly say coûter les yeux de la tête when talking about a purchase or an expense that we consider excessive. The phrase often appears in spontaneous conversation, with a familiar and sometimes annoyed tone. The plane ticket cost me les yeux de la tête ; This repair cost us les yeux de la tête ; Dinner at this restaurant costs les yeux de la tête. The expression is used to comment on a price that is too high, not to make a precise calculation. It is very suitable when talking about everyday purchases, leisure activities, vacations or services, as in Everyday vocabulary: purchases and costs. It is also found in sentences with coûter followed by a complement, as in Grammar: verbs and expressions with coûter.

Common contexts for talking about an excessive price

Usage	Explanation
An overly expensive purchase	The expression is used to say that an object or service has a much too high price.
Unexpected repair	It is used when an unforeseen expense seems truly excessive.
Luxurious outing	It is also said for an activity when the moment of pleasure becomes very expensive.
Specialized service	It fits when a service provides something useful but is billed at an excessive rate.
Designer item	It is often used to emphasize that a well-known brand drives up the price.
Shocking expense	It can be used to react with surprise to a truly shocking sum.

The form is fixed. We say coûter les yeux de la tête and not another similar image. The group les yeux remains in the plural, because the expression is fixed that way in usage. We do not change it to coûter l’œil de la tête in everyday language. The complete structure is subject + coûter + les yeux de la tête. We keep it as it is in the present, past or future, depending on the sentence: This car coûte les yeux de la tête ; This trip a coûté les yeux de la tête ; It will cost us les yeux de la tête. The expression is one of the memorized turns of phrase, like many French idioms, and it is understood as a ready-made block.

Fixed form and plural of the expression

Idea
One says les yeux de la tête and not l œil de la tête when talking about the price.
The expression remains fixed in its form and does not change according to the gender of the object.
One uses to cost in the third person or with the subject corresponding to the price.

Several expressions can be used to say that a price is very high, but each has its own nuance. Coûter une fortune emphasizes a huge sum, often in a somewhat more neutral way. Coûter un bras is very familiar and more figurative, with a more colloquial tone. Coûter les yeux de la tête is also figurative, but it sounds a little more expressive and is very frequent in spoken language. This sofa costs a fortune may sound a little more restrained than This sofa coûte les yeux de la tête. This phone cost me an arm is more direct and more familiar. In everyday conversation, these three forms are used to express the same general idea, that of a price that is too high, but the choice depends on the register and degree of familiarity. To learn to use them naturally, it is useful to compare them with Buying and negotiating in everyday life, where prices, expenses and discussing cost are also covered.