you get what you pay for

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.

Example Sentences

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

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Eric: You get what you pay for!

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And if it’s a little easier to hear the neighbors through the walls, well, you get what you pay for.

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Like most things in life, of course, you get what you pay for.

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It’s cheaper for a university to bring in minimally trained private security guards when needed than to hire permanent, full-time police officers, but “you get what you pay for,” according to Norman D. Bates, a security expert, attorney and founder of the Massachusetts-based security consulting firm Liability Consultants.

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