you get what you pay for

English

Proverb

you get what you pay for

  1. (informal) 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.
    Synonym: YGWYPF (initialism)
    • 1991 October 28, Janice Castro, Richard Woodbury, “The Man Who Fired a Dog To Save a Buck”, in Time, retrieved 4 November 2018:
      You get what you pay for. If you want a lower price, you can go to Motel 6..

Usage notes

  • Used both to denigrate inexpensive goods as naturally inferior and to praise expensive goods as being of high quality.

Translations

See also