Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Lo barato sale caro.»
Word for word
The cheap turns out expensive.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Buy cheap, pay dear.
Buying the cheapest option usually costs more in the end — said over broken bargains everywhere.
Hear it in a sentence
Compró las botas más baratas y se rompieron en un mes: lo barato sale caro.
He bought the cheapest boots and they fell apart in a month — buy cheap, pay dear.
More Spanish sayings
- Con dinero baila el perro. — Money makes the world go round.
- Nadie es profeta en su tierra. — No one is a prophet in their own land.
- Quien busca, encuentra. — Seek and you shall find.
- Nadie da duros a cuatro pesetas. — Nobody gives something for nothing.
- En la variedad está el gusto. — Variety is the spice of life.
Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your level.