you get what you pay for

Idioms  

1. Inexpensive goods or services are likely to be inferior, as in That vacuum cleaner fell apart in a year—I guess you get what you pay for, or The volunteers take three times as long with the mailing, but you get what you pay for. This economic observation probably dates from ancient times but is disputed by those who do not equate high price with high quality.

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Example Sentences

But you get what you pay for: Premium savings mean big gaps in coverage.

From Barron's

It’s true that you get what you pay for, and that strong earnings growth has been behind a good deal of multiple expansion.

From Barron's

Prices vary, and you get what you pay for.

From The Wall Street Journal

There’s the adage that you get what you pay for, and it seems to apply to this bull market.

From Barron's

The sad truth about so much free TV is that you get what you pay for.

From The Wall Street Journal