real cost

Cultural  

1. The cost of producing a good or service, including the cost of all resources used and the cost of not employing those resources in alternative uses.

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Example Sentences

“We can delude ourselves for a while that this is not a real cost, but we’re only fooling ourselves at the end of the day,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Stopping a handful of Europeans from vacationing at Disneyland or speaking at Washington panels imposes no real cost on the censorship movement.

From The Wall Street Journal

The real cost of college has soared, and public skepticism about its value has risen.

From The Wall Street Journal

The exposure came at real cost.

From The Wall Street Journal

Of course, the real cost of a wedding varies wildly, depending on the location and pocketbook of the families involved.

From MarketWatch