“Costar un ojo de la cara” means “to cost an arm and a leg”.
Literally “to cost an eye from your face”. Spaniards use it for anything ridiculously expensive: Un piso en Madrid cuesta un ojo de la cara = a flat in Madrid costs an arm and a leg.
Hola! I’m Mónica, a Spanish teacher from Madrid. In English, expensive things cost an arm and a leg. In Spanish, they cost an eye. Different body part, same pain. Here’s how to use this expression, plus all the other ways Spaniards complain about prices (and we complain a lot).
How to use “costar un ojo de la cara”
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Las entradas del concierto me costaron un ojo de la cara. | The concert tickets cost me an arm and a leg. |
| Arreglar el coche nos va a costar un ojo de la cara. | Fixing the car is going to cost us a fortune. |
| Vivir en el centro cuesta un ojo de la cara. | Living in the city centre costs an arm and a leg. |
| El vestido es precioso, pero vale un ojo de la cara. | The dress is gorgeous, but it costs a fortune. |
You can use costar or valer: cuesta un ojo de la cara and vale un ojo de la cara mean the same. And the verb agrees with the thing: las entradas cuestan un ojo de la cara.
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Get the free guide →Other body parts that cost a lot
Spanish is generous with organs when it comes to money:
- Costar un riñón: to cost a kidney. Very common in Spain.
- Costar un huevo: to cost a fortune. Vulgar (huevo here isn’t an egg), but you’ll hear it constantly among friends.
- Costar un pastón / un dineral: to cost a fortune. No organs, totally safe.
And when something is cheap
- Está tirado: it’s dirt cheap (literally “it’s thrown away”).
- Por cuatro duros: for next to nothing. A duro was an old 5-peseta coin, and Spaniards still use it decades after the euro.
- Una ganga: a bargain.
Similar expressions
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Costar un riñón | To cost a kidney (a fortune) |
| Costar un pastón | To cost a fortune |
| Costar un dineral | To cost a lot of money |
| Ser carísimo | To be really expensive |
| ¡Qué clavada! | What a rip-off! (Spain) |
| Te han clavado | You’ve been ripped off (Spain) |
¡Qué clavada! is the one you’ll hear in a Madrid bar when the bill arrives. Learn it, you’ll need it.
FAQ
Is “costar un ojo de la cara” formal or informal?
It’s neutral-informal. You can say it to anyone, even at work. Costar un huevo is the vulgar one.
How do you say “very expensive” in Spanish?
Muy caro or carísimo. With style: cuesta un ojo de la cara.
Is it used in Latin America?
Yes, it’s understood and used in most Spanish-speaking countries.
More Spanish expressions from Spain
This article is part of my series on real Spanish expressions, the ones Spaniards use every day and textbooks never teach:
- Estar como una cabra
- Ponerse las pilas
- No pasa nada
- ¡Qué fuerte!
- Estar hecho polvo
- Me importa un pepino
- Ser pan comido
- Estar en las nubes
- Tomar el pelo
- Meter la pata
- Dar la lata
- Echar una mano
- En el quinto pino
- Ojalá
- Venga
- Eres la leche
- Toma tomate, tómalo
👉 See all Spanish expressions from Spain
Expressions are the shortcut to sounding real
You’ll use this one the first time you pay for a coffee at a tourist spot in Madrid. Download my free guide with 100 real Spanish phrases above, and if you want to know exactly what’s stopping you from speaking, book your Spanish Speaking Roadmap call below.
— Monica Bernabe Perez
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