costar un ojo de la cara

What does “costar un ojo de la cara” mean in English?

1. to cost an arm and a leg, to cost a fortune

   to cost an arm and a leg, to cost a fortune (informal hyperbole; me/nos costó un ojo de la cara)

Example sentences

• El abogado era bueno, pero nos costó un ojo de la cara.

  The lawyer was good, but he cost us an arm and a leg.

• Aparcar en el centro cuesta un ojo de la cara a partir de las diez de la mañana.

  Parking in the city centre costs a fortune from ten in the morning.

• No vale la pena: repararla costaría un ojo de la cara y el resultado sería el mismo.

  It's not worth it: repairing it would cost a fortune and the result would be the same.

How to use it

Costar un ojo de la cara (literally 'to cost an eye from the face') means 'to cost an arm and a leg', 'to cost a fortune'. It is informal hyperbole used to express that something is very expensive. Construction: costar un ojo de la cara (subject + verb costar conjugated). The subject is always the expensive thing; the human is indirect object: 'me costó un ojo de la cara'. Contrast with ser muy caro (neutral) and salir por un pico (informal synonym).