precio and costo are Spanish nouns that distinguish between "price" and "cost."
- precio = price: the amount charged to the buyer (can include profit, taxes, etc.).
- costo = cost: the amount spent to produce or acquire something (producer's perspective).
- precio is what you see on the tag; costo is what goes into making it.
Usage: precio
precio refers to the amount a customer pays or is asked to pay for a good or service.
- precio is the money exchanged in a sale—what’s on the sticker or bill.
- It is a sustantivo masculino: el precio, los precios.
- Common expressions:
- ¿Cuál es el precio? (What is the price?)
- El precio es muy alto. (The price is very high.)
- Los precios han subido. (Prices have gone up.)
'precio' means the price paid by the buyer.
Usage: costo
costo refers to the expense involved in producing, acquiring, or delivering something.
- costo is about what it takes to make or provide something—not what the customer pays.
- It is a sustantivo masculino: el costo, los costos.
- Common contexts:
- El costo de producción es alto. (The production cost is high.)
- Debemos reducir los costos. (We must reduce costs.)
'costo' is used for expenses, not sale price.
precio vs costo: Side by Side
| Aspect | precio | costo |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Price (what you pay) | Cost (what it takes to produce) |
| Spanish | precio | costo |
| Part of Speech | Noun (masculine) | Noun (masculine) |
| Usual Context | Buyer’s perspective, sale, charge | Producer’s perspective, expenses |
| Examples | ¿Cuál es el precio? | ¿Cuál es el costo de producción? |
| Root | /from Latin pretium (value, price) | related to computare (to count) |
precio is for the amount charged to the customer, while costo is for the expenses behind the scenes.
'precio' is the price you pay; 'costo' is the expense to produce.
'precio' is for the buyer; 'costo' is for the producer.
Conclusion
precio and costo are key to understanding economic relationships in Spanish: one shows the transaction amount for the buyer, the other reveals the underlying expenses for the producer.
- precio = price (what you pay)
- costo = cost (what it takes to produce)