Cost is usually used without a preposition before the amount. Different prepositions after cost can express the person affected, the cause, or the type of expense.
Cost normally takes a direct object and an amount: The trip cost me $500. Cost to is common for the person or organisation affected. Cost of is common in noun phrases such as the cost of living. Cost for often appears when naming a payment for something. Cost by and cost in are uncommon as fixed patterns after the verb.
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
This is the most common verb pattern with cost.
Use cost directly before the amount without a preposition.
Use cost to mainly in formal contexts or with nouns describing impact.
Cost for is possible when referring to the charge associated with something, often in business or pricing contexts.
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
After cost, English usually places the amount directly.
✕ The phone cost to me $300. ✓ The phone cost me $300.By is not a normal complement after the verb cost.
✕ The repairs cost by the company were high. ✓ The repairs cost the company a lot.Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
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Cost me is the normal pattern: The repairs cost me $200.
Usually no. Cost of is most often a noun phrase, such as the cost of food.
Yes. Cost can describe loss or consequences, such as The mistake cost her confidence.
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