6 Ways to Say that Something is Expensive

We usually use the adjective 'expensive' to say that something costs a lot of money. We can also use other adjectives with the same meaning. 

In this lesson, you will learn how to use 6 different adjectives that can replace the word 'expensive', which can make you sound like a better English speaker. 

Let's look at the example sentences below. 

HIGH (meaning: too expensive and not worth the price) 
We use 'high' to talk about a rent, fee, price, tax, etc. 

• Rent prices in major cities around the world are higher than previous years. 
• Housing shortage and rental demand are the main reasons for high rent prices. 
• The cost of accommodation is extremely high in some neighbourhoods.
• Some countries like the UK and Germany have a progressive income tax, which means that the more money you earn, the higher taxes you pay. ​
• Overseas students entering Dutch universities pay higher tuition fees than EU nationals. 
• The cost of living in Denmark is high even by European standards. 
• Salaries in Denmark are relatively high. 

Note: We can also use high to talk wage, salary, pay, income. 

PRICEY (informal) (meaning: expensive) 
We use 'pricey' when something costs more than we want to pay for it. 

• Everything on the menu is very pricey. 
• The food there is a bit pricey but it's absolutely delicious. 
• Eating out and utility bills in Denmark are especially pricey. 

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OVERPRICED (meaning: too expensive and not worth the price) 
Something that is overpriced is more expensive than it should be. 
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• I think the food there is a bit overpriced. 
• The shop sells overpriced clothes. 
• The shoes are nice, but they're really overpriced. 

COSTLY (meaning: costing a lot of money) 
When you say that something is costly, you mean that the price is more than you want to pay. 

• Buying a new car can be costly, so why not look for a used one? 
• We gave up buying a new fridge because it was too costly. 
• It's extremely costly to purchase all the necessary equipment for the business. 

EXORBITANT (meaning: much too expensive; much more than is reasonable) 
We use 'exorbitant' to talk about an amount of money that is much higher than it should be. 

• Some dentists charge exorbitant fees. 
• The company charges exorbitant prices for everything.  
• I decided to cancel my credit card because of the exorbitant interest rate. 

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ASTRONOMICAL (meaning: extremely high) 
We use 'astronomical' to talk about prices, costs, rates, and fees that are extremely high. 

• The house was sold for an astronomical price. 
• Tuition fees at private universities are astronomical. 
• I can't take out a loan because the interest rate is astronomical. 

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Other lessons:
​English Lesson: 5 Types of Lifestyle 
10 Ways to Say that Something is Bad 
10 Ways to Say that Something is Good 

English collocations: 
English Lesson: Collocations for Leisure 
English Lesson: Collocations for Rural Life 
English Lesson: Collocations for Urban Life 
English Lesson: Collocations for Saving Money 

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