Money idioms are extremely common in everyday English, especially when talking about spending, saving, earning and costs. On this page, you will learn useful money idioms using cheap, cost, earn, pay and spend, with clear meanings and natural examples to help you understand how they are really used in spoken and written English.
cheap idioms list
Everybody loves a bargain, don’t they? Cheap refers to the price of a product or service. If something is cheap, it is not very expensive and costs very little compared to similar products or services.
Hot tip: The ch is pronounced like chuh. Here’s a link to a video showing the different ways ch can be pronounced.
as cheap as chips
meaning: inexpensive, very cheap, good value
example: Go to the uniform warehouse. You can get school clothes as cheap as chips.
cheapskate
meaning: a person who doesn’t like spending money
example: Jack is a cheapskate; he only ever buys reduced food.
dirt cheap
meaning: very cheap
example: The street food in Malaysia is dirt cheap and delicious.
don’t/doesn’t come cheap
meaning: good quality but expensive
example: I send my kids to private school. It doesn’t come cheap, but the school is excellent.
won’t break the bank
meaning: something doesn’t cost very much
example: I’ll come out for a few hours. it won’t break the bank.
for a song
meaning: very cheap
example: I wasn’t going to have a holiday this year, but I found one for a song online.
cost idioms
The cost of something is the amount of money that needs to be paid to acquire a product or service. These idioms are all about the cost or amount of something.
HOT TIP: When talking about the cost of something, we usually use the third person it in the present tense. Don’t forget to add the s to cost.
For example:
- It costs £4 for a pint in my local.
- My therapist costs $50 an hour.
charge the earth
meaning: cost a lot of money
example: Don’t buy coffee at the bus station café, they charge the earth and it’s disgusting.
cost a pretty penny
meaning: expensive
example: I don’t go to the cinema anymore. It costs a pretty penny.
cost an arm and a leg
meaning: be very expensive
example: We won’t be going to that Italian again. It costs an arm and a leg, and the menu is basic.
cost peanuts
meaning: very cheap/hardly any money
example: I quit my job. I got paid peanuts for doing 13-hour shifts.
face value
meaning: the value indicated or accept what someone says without questioning
example: Don’t take what Eric says at face value, he lies a lot.
set one back
meaning: the cost, the price
example: The train will set you back £27, or you could stay at mine for free.
to the tune of
meaning: amount/price
example: We need to raise some cash to the tune of £11,000 to get Bobby his operation.
‘earn’ idioms
‘Earn’ is to obtain money by doing some work or providing a service. For example:
- My boss gave me an extra £500 this month, he said I earnt it
- If I do 1 hour overtime every day, I’ll earn an extra £350.
Earn is an irregular verb in British English but regular in American English.
HOT TIP – There’s a difference between ‘earn’ and ‘win’. To win means to gain something by luck such as entering a competition and receiving a prize. For example:
- I won £300,000 on the lottery.
- If I win the race, I’ll get a trophy.
Spanish speakers if you’re reading, this is for you, de nada.
There are many phrases we use to talk about ‘earning money’. Let’s take a look.
‘pay’ idioms
‘To pay’ is to hand over your hard-earned cash in exchange for a product or service. For example:
- I paid £20 for a wash, cut and blow dry.
- If you ruin my white coat, you’ll have to pay for the dry cleaning.
‘spend’ idioms
Once you’ve earnt it, it’s time to spend it! ‘To spend’ is to hand over money in exchange for a product or service. For example:
- I spent all my money down the boozer, now i can’t afford to buy groceries.
- If you spend all week revising, you’ll be prepared for the exam
HOT TIP – ‘Spend’; is also used to describe the way we use our time. For example: I’ve spent the whole weekend binge-watching Netflix.
