---
schema: 1
type: term
title: opportunity cost
description: >-
  **Opportunity cost** — the idea, presented by economist Tyler Cowen as one of
  economics' two core lessons, that _there's always an opportunity cost_: any
  choice carries the cost of what you give up by not doing something else.
canonical: >-
  https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/opportunity-cost-868178b528ec
markdown: >-
  https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/opportunity-cost-868178b528ec.md
llms: null
parent: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt'
channel: everyinc
updated: '2026-10-23T22:12:35.346Z'
language: null
children: []
---


# opportunity cost

Canonical: https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/opportunity-cost-868178b528ec

Parent: [Channel index](https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt)

## Definition

**Opportunity cost** — the idea, presented by economist Tyler Cowen as one of economics' two core lessons, that _there's always an opportunity cost_: any choice carries the cost of what you give up by not doing something else.

In the channel's material, **opportunity cost** appears as one of the two core lessons of economics that economist **Tyler Cowen** offers when asked to distill the discipline [^7446bf59-fb6e-5e81-b79b-e25a61ea39de@0].