Published August 29, 2020 • Updated October 6, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Coûter les yeux de la tête meaning
Coûter les yeux de la tête is a common French expression meaning “to cost an arm and a leg” or “to cost a fortune.” It is used to describe something that is extremely expensive. The expression is informal and very common in everyday spoken French.
Coûter les yeux de la tête pronunciation
The IPA pronunciation of coûter les yeux de la tête is /ku.te le.z‿jø də la tɛt/, which sounds approximately like “koo-tay lay zyuh duh lah tet.”
Coûter les yeux de la tête example sentences
Le fromage français aux États-Unis coûte les yeux de la tête ! Je n’ai pas les moyens de l’acheter.
French cheese in the United States costs an arm and a leg. I can’t afford to buy it.
Je veux acheter une nouvelle voiture mais malheureusement ça coûte les yeux de la tête !
I want to buy a new car but unfortunately it cost a fortune!
La famille veut partir en vacances aux Maldives mais les billets d’avion coûtent les yeux de la tête !
The family wants to go on vacation to the Maldives but the plane tickets cost a fortune!
Synonymous expression
In French, there’s a synonymous expression for coûter les yeux de la tête: “Coûter la peau des fesses“. The literal translation of this expression is: “to cost the skin of the bottom”. Les fesses is slang for buttocks or bottom. This expression is stronger than coûter les yeux de la tête.
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- cher / chère — expensive
- hors de prix — overpriced, extremely expensive
- coûter une fortune — to cost a fortune
- coûter un bras — to cost an arm and a leg
- coûter la peau des fesses — to cost an arm and a leg
- être inabordable — to be unaffordable
- se ruiner — to spend a fortune, to break the bank
- faire des économies — to save money
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