cost an arm and a leg
be very expensive
In Spanish
costar un ojo de la cara
Examples
- That apartment costs an arm and a leg — we can't afford it.
- The repairs on my car are going to cost an arm and a leg.
- Buying a new smartphone these days can cost an arm and a leg.
When it's used
This idiom is common and informal, used in both speaking and casual writing to describe something extremely expensive.
The common mistake
A common mistake is to say 'cost an eye of the face' by translating from Spanish literally. This phrase is not English and does not convey the intended meaning.