lo barato sale caro

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “cheap [things] turn out expensive”.

Proverb

lo barato sale caro

1. cheap objects or solutions can end up being expensive, because they don’t last as long, require high maintenance or are inefficient
2. buy cheap, buy twice
3. cheap things in expensive disguise make everything more costly, setting precedence to inflate true value while lowering quality not just for goods but services and society as a whole

See also

• el dinero del avaro, dos veces va al mercado (dated)
• el dinero del pobre dos veces se gasta

Further reading

• “lo barato es, o sale, caro”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28