Cost vs. Expense — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 15, 2023
Cost refers to the value of resources used to produce a product, while expense is the consumption of assets or services in operational activities.
Difference Between Cost and Expense
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Further, costs can be capitalized or expensed, depending on their nature. For instance, the cost of building a factory is capitalized and depreciated over time. In contrast, the cost of raw materials used in a production cycle is expensed directly since it's consumed immediately.
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Sep 15, 2023
While cost is more about the acquisition and production process, expense is related to operational activities. When a business buys a machine, the amount paid is its cost. When it depreciates over time, the yearly depreciation becomes an expense.
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Expense, on the other hand, relates more to the consumption or the using up of resources or services in the regular course of business. For example, rent for an office space, salaries paid to employees, or electricity bills are all expenses. They reflect the outflows from a business over a period of time, such as a month or a fiscal year.
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Sep 15, 2023
Cost and expense are financial terms that, while closely related, have distinct meanings. Cost typically pertains to the amount spent on acquiring, producing, or maintaining something. It might be the price of raw materials to produce a product or the acquisition price of an asset. In essence, cost is what you give up in exchange for goods, services, or assets.
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Sep 15, 2023
Lastly, while both cost and expense reflect outflows, their timing and nature of recognition in financial statements differ. Costs can stay on the balance sheet as assets until they're consumed, whereas expenses directly affect the income statement, reducing net income.
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Sep 15, 2023
Comparison Chart
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Financial Statement
Can be on balance sheet or income statement
Primarily on income statement
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Definitions
Cost➦
The monetary value given up for goods or services.
The cost of the concert ticket was higher than I expected.
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Expense➦
Outflow of assets due to operational activities.
The monthly rent is a significant expense for the business.
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Cost➦
The expenditure incurred to achieve an objective.
The cost of the marketing campaign was substantial but necessary.
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Expense➦
Charges incurred during a business operation.
The business trip led to travel and meal expenses.
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Cost➦
A measure of resources used or given up.
The environmental cost of the project is still being assessed.
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Expense➦
Amounts spent on goods or services not capitalized.
The expense of office supplies quickly added up over the year.
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Cost➦
In production, research, retail, and accounting, a cost is the value of money that has been used up to produce something or deliver a service, and hence is not available for use anymore. In business, the cost may be one of acquisition, in which case the amount of money expended to acquire it is counted as cost.
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Expense➦
A reduction in equity due to the cost of doing business.
Salaries and wages are a recurring expense for employers.
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Expense➦
Consumption of resources over a period.
Advertising is a major expense for many companies.
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Cost➦
The expenditure of something, such as time or labor, necessary for the attainment of a goal
"Freedom to advocate unpopular causes does not require that such advocacy be without cost" (Milton Friedman).
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Expense➦
Expenditure is an outflow of money, or any form of fortune in general, to another person or group as payment for an item, service, or other category of costs. For a tenant, rent is an expense.
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Cost➦
Costs(Law) Charges incurred in bringing litigation, including court fees and charges that may be payable by the losing party, but usually not including attorneys' fees.
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Expense➦
The cost incurred in or required for something
Conference rooms were equipped at great expense
Book into the best hotel you can find and hang the expense
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Cost➦
To require a specified payment, expenditure, effort, or loss
It costs more to live in the city.
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Expense➦
Offset (an item of expenditure) as an expense against taxable income
Up to $17,500 in capital expenditures can be expensed in the year they were incurred
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Expense➦
Something spent to attain a goal or accomplish a purpose
An expense of time and energy on the project.
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Cost➦
To cause to lose, suffer, or sacrifice
Participating in the strike cost me my job.
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Expense➦
A loss for the sake of something gained; a sacrifice
Achieved speed at the expense of accuracy.
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Cost➦
Past tense and past participle costed To estimate or determine the cost of
The accountants costed out our expenses.
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Expense➦
An expenditure of money; a cost
An improvement that was well worth the expense.
A trip with all expenses paid.
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Cost➦
To incur a charge of; to require payment of a (specified) price.
This shirt cost $50, while this was cheaper at only $30.
It will cost you a lot of money to take a trip around the world.
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Expense➦
Charges incurred by an employee in the performance of work
Was reimbursed for her travel expenses.
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Cost➦
To cause something to be lost; to cause the expenditure or relinquishment of.
Trying to rescue the man from the burning building cost them their lives.
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Expense➦
Something requiring the expenditure of money
Redecorating the house will be a considerable expense.
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Cost➦
To calculate or estimate a price.
I'd cost the repair work at a few thousand.
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Cost➦
Amount of money, time, etc. that is required or used.
The total cost of the new complex was an estimated $1.5 million.
We have to cut costs if we want to avoid bankruptcy.
The average cost of a new house is twice as much as it was 20 years ago.
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Cost➦
A negative consequence or loss that occurs or is required to occur.
Spending all your time working may earn you a lot of money at the cost of your health.
The army won the battle decisively, but at a cost of many lives.
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Expense➦
A spending or consuming, often a disbursement of funds.
She went to great expense to ensure her children would get the best education.
Buying the car was a big expense, but will be worth it in the long run.
We had a training weekend in New York, at the expense of our company.
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Cost➦
Quality; condition; property; value; worth; a wont or habit; disposition; nature; kind; characteristic.
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Expense➦
The elimination or consumption of something, sometimes with the notion of loss or damage to the thing eliminated.
Jones reached the final at the expense of Smith, who couldn't beat him.
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Expense➦
(transitive) To charge a cost against an expense account; to bill something to the company for which one works.
It should be acceptable to expense a business lunch with a client.
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Expense➦
A spending or consuming; disbursement; expenditure.
Husband nature's riches from expense.
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Expense➦
That which is expended, laid out, or consumed; cost; outlay; charge; - sometimes with the notion of loss or damage to those on whom the expense falls; as, the expenses of war; an expense of time.
Courting popularity at his party's expense.
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Cost➦
The amount paid, charged, or engaged to be paid, for anything bought or taken in barter; charge; expense; hence, whatever, as labor, self-denial, suffering, etc., is requisite to secure benefit.
One day shall crown the alliance on 't so please you,Here at my house, and at my proper cost.
At less cost of life than is often expended in a skirmish, [Charles V.] saved Europe from invasion.
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Cost➦
Loss of any kind; detriment; pain; suffering.
I know thy trains,Though dearly to my cost, thy gins and toils.
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Expense➦
Amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
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Cost➦
To require to be given, expended, or laid out therefor, as in barter, purchase, acquisition, etc.; to cause the cost, expenditure, relinquishment, or loss of; as, the ticket cost a dollar; the effort cost his life.
A diamond gone, cost me two thousand ducats.
Though it cost me ten nights' watchings.
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Expense➦
Money spent to perform work and usually reimbursed by an employer;
He kept a careful record of his expenses at the meeting
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Cost➦
To require to be borne or suffered; to cause.
To do him wanton rites, which cost them woe.
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Cost➦
The total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
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Cost➦
The property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold);
The fluctuating monetary value of gold and silver
He puts a high price on his services
He couldn't calculate the cost of the collection
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Cost➦
Value measured by what must be given or done or undergone to obtain something;
The cost in human life was enormous
The price of success is hard work
What price glory?
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Cost➦
The amount paid to acquire or produce something.
The cost of the new computer was $1,000.
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Cost➦
The sacrifice made to obtain a benefit.
The cost of his dedication was less time with family.
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FAQs
Can a cost be an expense?
Yes, some costs are immediately recognized as expenses, like raw material costs in manufacturing.
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Is cost always a monetary value?
While cost often refers to monetary value, it can also imply other sacrifices like time or effort.
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Are all costs eventually expensed?
Not always; some capitalized costs are depreciated or amortized over time, while others might be sold.
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Are marketing costs an expense?
Yes, marketing costs are typically treated as expenses.
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Can a cost be both fixed and variable?
Costs can be categorized as fixed or variable, but a single cost isn't typically both.
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Do expenses directly affect profits?
Yes, expenses reduce the overall profit of a business.
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How are expenses recorded in accounting?
Expenses are recorded on the income statement and reduce net income.
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How is the cost of goods sold different from an expense?
Cost of goods sold represents the direct costs of producing goods sold, while expenses cover operational costs.
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Are purchase costs and selling prices the same?
No, the selling price typically exceeds the purchase cost to generate a profit.
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Is depreciation a cost or an expense?
Depreciation is an expense derived from the original cost of an asset spread over its useful life.
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Is interest paid on a loan an expense?
Yes, interest paid on a loan is considered a financial expense.
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Author Spotlight
Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform.
Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
