you get what you pay for
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
In commercial transactions, the prices increase, as the quality of goods and services increases, i.e., the more one pays, the higher-quality the merchandise.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Giá cả tăng khi chất lượng hàng hóa và dịch vụ tăng
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Register: informal
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
You get what you pay for. If you want a lower price, you can go to Motel 6..
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “you get what you pay for” mean?
In commercial transactions, the prices increase, as the quality of goods and services increases, i.e., the more one pays, the higher-quality the merchandise.
Is “you get what you pay for” formal or informal?
you get what you pay for is generally informal.