In 15 Seconds
- Most professional way to say 'low price'.
- Neutral tone that doesn't imply poor quality.
- Standard in business, marketing, and daily shopping.
- Always use 'baixo' (low), never 'pequeno' (small).
Meaning
This phrase literally means 'low price' and is the most objective, professional way to describe something affordable. While 'barato' can sometimes imply that an item is 'cheap' or poorly made, this collocation focuses strictly on the financial value. It carries a neutral, business-friendly vibe that suggests a good deal without insulting the product's quality.
Key Examples
3 of 12Reading a supermarket flyer
Aproveite as ofertas com `preço baixo` hoje!
Take advantage of the low price offers today!
At a tech store
Este notebook tem um `preço baixo` para as configurações que oferece.
This notebook has a low price for the specs it offers.
Instagram caption for a thrift store
Roupas incríveis e sempre com `preço baixo`! 👗
Amazing clothes and always with a low price!
Cultural Background
In Lusophone cultures, particularly in Brazil, the 'cultura da pechincha' (bargaining culture) is legendary. However, while people love to haggle for a 'barato' deal, professional businesses and established brands use `preço baixo` to signal value without devaluing their brand image. This phrase gained massive popularity during the rise of 'Atacadão' (wholesale-retail) stores in the 2000s, where 'Preço Baixo de Verdade' (Real Low Price) became a ubiquitous marketing slogan.
Use 'Baixíssimo'
If the price is incredibly low, don't just say 'muito baixo'. Use the superlative 'baixíssimo' to sound like a native and emphasize the great deal.
Avoid 'Preço Pequeno'
This is a common 'false friend' logic from English. In Portuguese, prices have height (alto/baixo), not size (grande/pequeno).
In 15 Seconds
- Most professional way to say 'low price'.
- Neutral tone that doesn't imply poor quality.
- Standard in business, marketing, and daily shopping.
- Always use 'baixo' (low), never 'pequeno' (small).
What It Means
Ever wondered how to say something is affordable without sounding like you're calling it 'cheap'? In Portuguese, preço baixo is your best friend. It’s the standard, respectful way to talk about cost. While barato is common, it carries the same baggage as the English word 'cheap'—it might mean low quality. Preço baixo, however, is purely about the numbers. It’s the language of smart shopping and professional commerce. Think of it as the difference between a 'budget' flight and a 'cheap' flight. One sounds like a deal; the other sounds like the engine might fall off.
How To Use It
Grammar alert! In Portuguese, adjectives usually follow the noun. So, you’ll mostly say preço baixo. You can use it with verbs like ter (to have), estar (to be—temporary), or vender (to sell). If you want to sound a bit more poetic or formal, you might see baixo preço (swapping the order), but stick to preço baixo for 99% of your life. It’s like wearing a clean shirt to a job interview—it just fits. You can also intensify it by saying preço muito baixo or preço baixíssimo if you find a legendary bargain.
Real-Life Examples
You’ll see this everywhere from Instagram ads to high-end business reports. Imagine you're scrolling through a delivery app and see a banner: 'Comida de qualidade a um preço baixo'. That sounds appetizing! Or perhaps you're reading a review of the latest iPhone on a tech blog. The reviewer might say, 'O preço baixo do modelo anterior ainda atrai muitos compradores.' Even in a WhatsApp group with friends, if someone finds a flight to Lisbon for €20, they’d shout: 'Galera, achei passagens com um preço muito baixo!' It’s the universal signal for 'get your wallet out'.
When To Use It
Use this when you want to be objective. It’s perfect for business meetings, writing product descriptions, or talking to your boss about company expenses. It’s also the 'safe' choice for social media captions when you’re selling something. If you’re a travel vlogger pointing out a hidden gem of a hostel, preço baixo sounds more professional than just saying it's barato. It shows you respect the place but appreciate the value. It's the 'adult' way to talk about money.
When NOT To Use It
Avoid preço baixo if you’re trying to express that something is literally 'worthless' or of extremely poor quality. In those cases, barato or even mixaria (pittance) fits better. Also, don't use it for things that don't have a numerical price. You wouldn't say your friend's advice has a preço baixo. For that, you’d use valor (value). And remember, in very informal slang sessions, this might sound a bit too 'clean'. If you're haggling for a used surfboard on the beach, you might just say 'Faz mais barato?'.
Common Mistakes
Learners often try to translate 'small price' literally as ✗ preço pequeno. This sounds adorable, like a tiny price tag with googly eyes, but it’s wrong. Always use baixo for height/level. Another classic is using ✗ baixo custo interchangeably in every situation. While baixo custo (low cost) exists, it's usually for production or corporate strategy, not the sticker price you see in a shop. Stick to the rule: if you're the buyer looking at a tag, it's preço baixo.
- ✗ preço pequeno → ✓ preço baixo
- ✗ custo baixo (when buying a shirt) → ✓ preço baixo
Similar Expressions
If you want to spice things up, try em conta. It literally means 'into account' but functions as 'affordable'. It’s very common in Portugal and Brazil. For a more formal vibe, use acessível (accessible). If you’re at a street market and something is incredibly cheap, you can say preço de banana. Yes, bananas are the gold standard of affordability in the Lusophone world. Just don't try to pay with actual bananas; the vendors usually prefer Reais or Euros.
Common Variations
In marketing, you’ll often see preço reduzido (reduced price) or preço promocional (promotional price). These imply the price was higher before. If you're looking at a graph in a business presentation, you might hear about a queda no preço (drop in price). If you're in a fancy boutique and the price is 'low' for that specific brand, they might use preço competitivo to make it sound more strategic and less like a clearance sale. It's all about the branding, folks!
Memory Trick
Think of a Bass guitar. In Portuguese, baixo also means 'bass'. Imagine a giant bass guitar with a huge price tag hanging from the strings. The price tag is so heavy it’s pulling the strings down to the floor. Bass = Baixo = Low. When you see that price tag on the floor, you know it’s a preço baixo. It’s the lowest note on the scale of spending!
Quick FAQ
Is preço baixo different from barato? Yes! Preço baixo is neutral and objective, while barato can sometimes mean low quality. Can I use it in a job interview? Absolutely, it sounds professional when discussing budgets. Is it used in Portugal? Yes, though they often use a baixo preço or preço acessível. Can I say preço curto? No, that would mean 'short price', which doesn't exist in Portuguese. How do I say 'the lowest price'? Use o menor preço. Does it imply a discount? Not necessarily; it could just be the regular price that happens to be low.
Usage Notes
Use 'preço baixo' as a neutral default. Avoid 'preço pequeno' at all costs, as it's a major giveaway that you're translating directly from English. In business, pair it with 'competitivo' for extra professional points.
Use 'Baixíssimo'
If the price is incredibly low, don't just say 'muito baixo'. Use the superlative 'baixíssimo' to sound like a native and emphasize the great deal.
Avoid 'Preço Pequeno'
This is a common 'false friend' logic from English. In Portuguese, prices have height (alto/baixo), not size (grande/pequeno).
The 'Pechincha' Spirit
In Brazil, even if a tag says 'preço baixo', it's often culturally acceptable to ask 'Tem um desconto?' (Is there a discount?) in smaller shops or street markets.
Order Matters
Stick to 'preço baixo' (noun + adj) for 99% of cases. 'Baixo preço' (adj + noun) sounds slightly more literary or like a formal translation from English.
Examples
12Aproveite as ofertas com `preço baixo` hoje!
Take advantage of the low price offers today!
Standard marketing usage to attract customers.
Este notebook tem um `preço baixo` para as configurações que oferece.
This notebook has a low price for the specs it offers.
Comparing value vs. cost neutrally.
Roupas incríveis e sempre com `preço baixo`! 👗
Amazing clothes and always with a low price!
Casual social media marketing.
Precisamos manter o `preço baixo` para sermos competitivos.
We need to keep the price low to be competitive.
Strategic business context.
Amiga, a Zara está com um `preço baixo` naquelas botas!
Girl, Zara has a low price on those boots!
Excited informal observation.
Minha estratégia foca em oferecer qualidade a um `preço baixo`.
My strategy focuses on offering quality at a low price.
Showing expertise in value propositions.
Filtrei os restaurantes pelo `preço baixo` para economizar.
I filtered the restaurants by low price to save money.
Modern app usage context.
O `preço baixo` desse fone explica por que ele quebrou em uma semana.
The low price of this headphone explains why it broke in a week.
Sarcastic/emotional realization.
✗ Este relógio tem um preço pequeno. → ✓ Este relógio tem um `preço baixo`.
This watch has a small price. → This watch has a low price.
Portuguese uses 'low', not 'small' for prices.
✗ Quero comprar aquele carro por um baixo custo. → ✓ Quero comprar aquele carro por um `preço baixo`.
I want to buy that car for a low cost. → I want to buy that car for a low price.
'Custo' is for production; 'Preço' is for the buyer.
Vendedor: O preço é 100. Comprador: Mas no anúncio dizia `preço baixo`!
Seller: The price is 100. Buyer: But the ad said low price!
A classic 'expectation vs reality' joke.
Finalmente um produto bom com `preço baixo` de verdade! 😍
Finally a good product with a truly low price!
Modern digital appreciation.
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank with the correct adjective.
In Portuguese, we use 'baixo' (low) to describe prices, never 'pequeno' (small) or 'curto' (short).
Find and fix the error in the sentence.
While 'small' works in English, Portuguese strictly uses 'baixo' for numerical scales like price.
Choose the most professional option for a business report.
Como descrever um produto acessível em um relatório formal?
'Preço baixo' combined with 'competitivo' is the industry standard for formal business communication.
🎉 Score: /3
Visual Learning Aids
Formality of 'Low Cost' terms
Used with friends
Mixaria / De graça
Daily talk
Barato
Most situations
Preço baixo
Business reports
Preço acessível / Custo reduzido
Where you'll see 'Preço Baixo'
Supermarket Flyers
Ofertas de preço baixo
E-commerce Apps
Filtrar por preço baixo
News Reports
Inflação e preços baixos
Car Sales
Veículos com preço baixo
Real Estate
Aluguel de preço baixo
Preço Baixo vs. Barato
Variations of 'Low Price'
Economic
- • Preço reduzido
- • Preço competitivo
- • Custo baixo
Idiomatic
- • Preço de banana
- • A preço de custo
- • Por uma bagatela
Marketing
- • Preço promocional
- • Oferta imbatível
- • Preço de fábrica
Practice Bank
3 exercisesEu comprei esta camisa por um preço ___.
In Portuguese, we use 'baixo' (low) to describe prices, never 'pequeno' (small) or 'curto' (short).
Find and fix the mistake:
Aquela loja vende tudo a um preço pequeno.
While 'small' works in English, Portuguese strictly uses 'baixo' for numerical scales like price.
Como descrever um produto acessível em um relatório formal?
'Preço baixo' combined with 'competitivo' is the industry standard for formal business communication.
🎉 Score: /3
Video Tutorials
Find video tutorials on YouTube for this phrase.
Frequently Asked Questions
18 questionsWhile both mean something doesn't cost much, 'preço baixo' is a neutral and objective term often used in professional contexts. 'Barato' is more informal and can sometimes carry a negative connotation of being 'cheap' or low quality.
No, 'preço pequeno' is grammatically incorrect in Portuguese. We always use 'baixo' (low) or 'alto' (high) to describe the level of a price, treating it as a vertical scale rather than a physical size.
It is considered neutral, which means it is perfectly safe to use in both formal business meetings and casual conversations with friends. It is the most versatile way to describe affordability without sounding too slangy or too stiff.
To say 'lowest price', you should use the phrase 'o menor preço'. While 'o preço mais baixo' is also correct and understood, 'menor preço' is the standard way to describe the absolute bottom of a pricing range.
Usually, yes, but context matters. If someone says 'O preço baixo reflete a qualidade', they are implying that the item is inexpensive because it isn't very good, similar to saying 'you get what you pay for' in English.
Yes, it is common in all Portuguese-speaking countries, although you might find slightly different prepositions being used. For example, in Portugal, it is very common to hear 'a baixo preço' or 'a um preço baixo' more frequently than in Brazil.
Absolutely, you can use it for anything that has a defined price tag, such as subscriptions, haircuts, or taxi rides. For example, you could say 'Essa barbearia tem um preço baixo' to recommend a local affordable barber shop.
This is a popular idiom that means something is incredibly cheap, almost as if it costs nothing. It is much more informal than 'preço baixo' and is typically used when you find a surprisingly good bargain at a market or sale.
You wouldn't usually ask if a price is 'low' directly. Instead, you would ask 'Este é o melhor preço?' (Is this the best price?) or 'Tem algum desconto?' (Is there any discount?) to see if they can offer you a better deal.
Not exactly. 'Custo baixo' (low cost) usually refers to the internal expenses of a company or the production process. As a customer, you are generally concerned with the 'preço' (price) that you actually have to pay at the counter.
Yes, you can use it sarcastically if an item is obviously overpriced. For example, looking at a $2000 t-shirt and saying 'Que preço baixo, hein?' with a roll of the eyes is a common way to joke about something being way too expensive.
A 'preço promocional' is a temporary low price offered during a sale or marketing campaign. It implies that the 'preço baixo' you are seeing now will eventually go back up to a higher 'preço normal' once the promotion ends.
You can use the word 'muito' (very) to say 'preço muito baixo', or you can use the superlative form 'preço baixíssimo'. Both versions are very natural and effectively communicate that the deal is better than average.
The direct opposite is 'preço alto' (high price). If you want to sound more dramatic or formal about something being very expensive, you could also use terms like 'preço salgado' (salty price) or 'preço exorbitante' (exorbitant price).
No, 'preço curto' does not exist in Portuguese. If you want to say a discount is for a short time, you would say 'promoção por tempo limitado' or 'preço válido por pouco tempo' instead of trying to describe the price itself as 'short'.
Yes, 'preço acessível' (accessible price) is a bit more sophisticated than 'preço baixo'. It is frequently used in advertising for middle-to-high-end products to suggest that while they aren't 'cheap', they are within reach for most people.
This is a common marketing claim meaning 'the lowest price in the area'. It uses the comparative form to tell customers that no other shop nearby can beat their pricing, which is a powerful way to drive traffic to a store.
In a text message or WhatsApp, you can be very brief. Just saying 'O preço tá baixo!' (The price is low!) with an emoji is enough. The contraction 'tá' for 'está' makes it sound much more natural and conversational for texting.
Related Phrases
em conta
informal versionaffordable / worth it
This is a very common idiomatic way to say something is a good deal without using the word 'price'.
barato
synonymcheap
It's the most common synonym but carries a more informal and sometimes lower-quality connotation.
preço de banana
slangdirt cheap
A classic Brazilian idiom used when a price is so low it feels like a steal.
preço acessível
formal versionaffordable / accessible price
Often used in professional marketing to sound more sophisticated than just saying 'low price'.
preço alto
antonymhigh price
The direct opposite used to describe expensive items or rising inflation.
