cost

For a business, the amount of money spent in order to meet a specific aim, such as producing goods and services for sale. It is also the term used to describe the amount spent acquiring a particular good or service.

In business studies, direct costs are costs that vary directly with output, such as raw material inputs. Indirect costs are costs that change as output changes but not in direct proportion. Overhead costs are the costs of running the business which do not change as output changes. In economics, these three cost concepts are called variable, semi-variable, and fixed costs. Total cost is the sum of all costs incurred in producing a given level of output. Average cost can be found by dividing total cost by total output. Marginal cost is the cost of producing an extra unit of output. The opportunity cost of production is what has to be given up because a particular choice has been made. It is the benefit foregone of the next best alternative. The private cost of production is the cost to the individual or business that created the cost. Social costs are all the costs incurred by society through production. Private cost may be less than social cost because, for example, a producer may not have to pay for polluting the environment.