Sometimes things cost way more than we expect. A small snack at the airport, a shiny phone, or a concert ticket can feel like they emptied your wallet. Instead of saying “it’s really expensive” every time, people often use idioms. These are fun expressions that mean something different from what the words say. In this article, we’ll look at some of those idioms people use when talking about high prices.
You’ll learn what these sayings mean and how to use them in real life. We’ll also practice with short sentences, so it sticks better. These idioms are easy to understand, and they’ll help you sound more natural when you talk about money. Let’s get started with some common phrases for things that cost a lot.
Idioms for Expensive
1. Cost an arm and a leg
Meaning: Very expensive
In a Sentence: That new iPhone costs an arm and a leg. / My braces cost an arm and a leg last year.
Other Ways to Say: Super pricey / Way too much money
2. Break the bank
Meaning: To cost too much or more than you can afford
In a Sentence: Going to Disney World can break the bank. / That designer backpack will break the bank if I buy it.
Other Ways to Say: Really expensive / Out of budget
3. Highway robbery
Meaning: The price is unfairly high
In a Sentence: Seven dollars for water? That’s highway robbery. / That hot dog at the ballpark was highway robbery.
Other Ways to Say: Totally unfair price / Way too expensive
4. Pay through the nose
Meaning: To pay much more than normal
In a Sentence: We paid through the nose for gas on our road trip. / My family had to pay through the nose for concert tickets.
Other Ways to Say: Overpay / Got ripped off
5. Cost a fortune
Meaning: Very costly
In a Sentence: College textbooks cost a fortune these days. / That PlayStation 5 cost a fortune when it first came out.
Other Ways to Say: Very expensive / Super costly
6. Pricey
Meaning: Costing a lot
In a Sentence: That jacket from the mall is pretty pricey. / The steak at that restaurant was too pricey for us.
Other Ways to Say: Not cheap / High price
7. Burn a hole in your pocket
Meaning: Makes you spend a lot of money fast
In a Sentence: That video game burned a hole in my pocket. / My birthday money always burns a hole in my pocket.
Other Ways to Say: Easy to spend / Tempting but costly
8. Top dollar
Meaning: A very high price
In a Sentence: He paid top dollar for that car. / People pay top dollar for front-row seats.
Other Ways to Say: Big bucks / High-end price
9. A king’s ransom
Meaning: A very large amount of money
In a Sentence: That private school charges a king’s ransom. / The Super Bowl ads cost a king’s ransom.
Other Ways to Say: Massive price / Tons of money
10. Through the roof
Meaning: Very high, especially price
In a Sentence: Rent prices in this city are through the roof. / The cost of eggs went through the roof last year.
Other Ways to Say: Sky high / Off the charts
11. Sky-high
Meaning: Extremely expensive
In a Sentence: Gas prices are sky-high today. / The price of plane tickets is sky-high this summer.
Other Ways to Say: Really high / Too expensive
12. Charge an arm and a leg
Meaning: To ask for a lot of money
In a Sentence: The mechanic charged an arm and a leg. / That store charges an arm and a leg for sneakers.
Other Ways to Say: Overcharge / Too much
13. Not cheap
Meaning: It costs a lot
In a Sentence: Going to the movies isn’t cheap anymore. / Healthy food at the store is not cheap.
Other Ways to Say: Pricey / Costly
14. Daylight robbery
Meaning: A high price that feels unfair
In a Sentence: That popcorn at the theater was daylight robbery. / Charging five bucks for lemonade? Daylight robbery.
Other Ways to Say: Overpriced / Rip-off
15. A big price tag
Meaning: Something that costs a lot
In a Sentence: That gaming laptop has a big price tag. / The new shoes came with a big price tag.
Other Ways to Say: High price / Expensive deal
16. Shell out
Meaning: To spend a lot of money
In a Sentence: We had to shell out for a new fridge. / My dad shelled out a lot for my bike.
Other Ways to Say: Spend big / Fork over cash
17. Fork over
Meaning: To give money, usually a lot
In a Sentence: I had to fork over $60 for that hoodie. / My mom forked over cash for my soccer gear.
Other Ways to Say: Pay up / Spend a lot
18. Big bucks
Meaning: A lot of money
In a Sentence: That athlete makes big bucks. / You need big bucks to buy that house.
Other Ways to Say: Tons of money / High income
19. Gold-plated
Meaning: Very expensive and fancy
In a Sentence: That hotel room was gold-plated. / The wedding had a gold-plated look.
Other Ways to Say: Fancy and costly / Super deluxe
20. Out of my price range
Meaning: Too expensive for me
In a Sentence: That video game is out of my price range. / Those designer jeans are way out of my price range.
Other Ways to Say: Too costly / Can’t afford
21. Bank-buster
Meaning: Something that uses up a lot of your money
In a Sentence: That trip to New York was a real bank-buster. / Buying all the school supplies was a bank-buster.
Other Ways to Say: Money drainer / Budget killer
22. Luxury price
Meaning: A very high cost for something fancy
In a Sentence: That perfume comes at a luxury price. / Fancy hotels charge a luxury price.
Other Ways to Say: High-end price / Premium cost
23. Steep price
Meaning: Higher than expected
In a Sentence: That phone case has a steep price for just plastic. / The ski trip came with a steep price.
Other Ways to Say: Too much / Overpriced
24. Costly
Meaning: Something that costs a lot
In a Sentence: Fixing the car was costly. / Medical bills can be very costly.
Other Ways to Say: Expensive / Not cheap
25. Empty your wallet
Meaning: Use all your money
In a Sentence: That new game almost emptied my wallet. / I had to empty my wallet for school clothes.
Other Ways to Say: Spend it all / No money left
26. Bleed money
Meaning: Keep losing or spending a lot of money
In a Sentence: Owning that old truck made us bleed money. / We bled money fixing the air conditioner.
Other Ways to Say: Lose cash / Always paying
27. Price tag shock
Meaning: Surprised by how expensive something is
In a Sentence: I had price tag shock at the sneaker store. / My mom got price tag shock at the vet.
Other Ways to Say: Sticker shock / Didn’t expect that price
28. Gold standard
Meaning: Something very good and very expensive
In a Sentence: That laptop is the gold standard, but it’s pricey. / These headphones are the gold standard in sound and cost.
Other Ways to Say: Top choice / High quality and high price
29. Premium price
Meaning: More money for better stuff
In a Sentence: You pay a premium price for organic snacks. / That video game has a premium price on release day.
Other Ways to Say: Extra charge / Pricey option
30. High-end
Meaning: Expensive and fancy
In a Sentence: She only wears high-end shoes. / They stayed at a high-end hotel in Chicago.
Other Ways to Say: Fancy stuff / Not for every budget
31. Money pit
Meaning: Something that keeps needing money
In a Sentence: That old house was a money pit. / My phone is a money pit with all those repairs.
Other Ways to Say: Never-ending cost / Always needing money
32. Blew my budget
Meaning: Spent more than planned
In a Sentence: I blew my budget on new video games. / That birthday gift blew my budget.
Other Ways to Say: Overspent / Went over budget
33. Out of reach
Meaning: Too expensive to buy
In a Sentence: That laptop is out of reach for me. / The new Jordans are out of reach right now.
Other Ways to Say: Can’t afford / Too high
34. Splash out
Meaning: Spend a lot in one go
In a Sentence: We splashed out on a big dinner for Grandma. / I splashed out on a brand-new backpack.
Other Ways to Say: Treat yourself / Spend big
35. Hit the wallet
Meaning: Something costs and hurts financially
In a Sentence: That field trip hit my wallet hard. / The vet bill really hit my wallet.
Other Ways to Say: Pricey / Hurt the budget
36. Wallet-crusher
Meaning: Costs too much for your budget
In a Sentence: That tablet is a wallet-crusher for sure. / That field trip fee is a wallet-crusher.
Other Ways to Say: Budget breaker / Too much money
37. Deep pockets needed
Meaning: You need a lot of money to afford it
In a Sentence: You need deep pockets to shop there. / Deep pockets are needed for those box seats.
Other Ways to Say: Gotta be rich / Not for small budgets
38. Budget buster
Meaning: Something that ruins your spending plan
In a Sentence: That holiday gift was a total budget buster. / My phone bill was a budget buster this month.
Other Ways to Say: Too expensive / Over the limit
39. Rich taste
Meaning: Liking expensive things
In a Sentence: My cousin has rich taste in shoes. / That kid’s got rich taste for a 10-year-old.
Other Ways to Say: Expensive style / Likes the fancy stuff
40. Gold mine (used sarcastically)
Meaning: Something so costly, it must be made of gold
In a Sentence: These earbuds better be a gold mine for this price. / That smoothie must be a gold mine, it costs $10.
Other Ways to Say: Too costly / Looks fancy but not worth it
Exercise to practice
- My new laptop _____, so I had to save all year.
- Buying a house can _____ for most families.
- My mom _____ on concert tickets last night.
- That slice of pizza at the stadium felt like _____.
- Gas prices made me _____ at the pump.
- We _____ for our family trip to Disney World.
- I _____ for my video game console on Black Friday.
- That designer purse _____ and hurt my budget.
- The tennis match tickets _____ when we saw the price.
- My school trip _____ when we paid for the museum entry.
- She _____ for the diamond ring.
- The school fundraiser dinner _____ for the PTA.
- I _____ on the new phone and now I have little cash.
- My parents said video games _____ so I can only get one.
- The vet bill _____ when my dog needed care.
Answers
- cost an arm and a leg
- break the bank
- splashed out
- highway robbery
- paid through the nose
- forked over
- shelled out
- burned a hole in my pocket
- gave us price tag shock
- was a bank-buster
- paid top dollar
- was a budget buster
- emptied my wallet
- cost a fortune
- was a wallet-crusher
Conclusion
In this article, you learned many fun ways to say that something costs a lot. You saw how each idiom can make your talk about high prices more lively. You also tried exercises to help the idioms stick in your mind. Now you can use these sayings when you chat with friends or write about money. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll sound like a pro at talking about expensive things.