calculate the cost

Meaning

This expression means to determine or estimate the total amount of money, time, or effort needed for a specific project, purchase, or action. While it often refers to financial math, it can also be used metaphorically to weigh the negative consequences or sacrifices of a decision.

Examples

• Before starting the home renovation, we need to carefully calculate the cost.

  Before starting the home renovation, we need to carefully calculate the cost.

• It's hard to calculate the cost of the damage caused by the storm.

  It's hard to calculate the cost of the damage caused by the storm.

• We must calculate the cost of importing materials versus buying them locally.

  We must calculate the cost of importing materials versus buying them locally.

• She sat down with a calculator to calculate the cost of her monthly groceries.

  She sat down with a calculator to calculate the cost of her monthly groceries.

• Before you quit your job to travel, you should calculate the cost of living abroad.

  Before you quit your job to travel, you should calculate the cost of living abroad.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We need to count the cost of the new car.

  ✓ We need to calculate the cost of the new car.

  While 'count the cost' is an idiom meaning to suffer the consequences of an action, 'calculate the cost' is the correct expression for figuring out the actual financial price.

• ✗ I calculated the cost for the trip.

  ✓ I calculated the cost of the trip.

  We calculate the cost 'of' something, not 'for' something, when referring to the total price tag of an event or item.

Related Expressions

Practice

• You should always ___ of a college education before taking out student loans.

  💡 Figure out how much money it will take.

  Show answer

  calculate the cost

• It is difficult to ___ of the new project without knowing the material prices.

  💡 Use a verb meaning to compute mathematically.

  Show answer

  calculate the cost