Literal translation
The cost takes away the taste
Meaning
when it costs too much, it kills the desire for it
Explanation
This saying plays on the near homophony between coust (cost) and goust (taste) to say that an excessive price kills the desire or pleasure of enjoying something, however appealing it might otherwise be. The image is of an appetite fading at the sight of the bill: its price is what is at fault, spoiling the anticipated pleasure. It is said of an overpriced menu, a luxury item, or more broadly any expense whose amount discourages the purchase despite the thing's appeal. The register is familiar and often delivered with a smile, the phrase drawing its force precisely from its wordplay, which the southern pronunciation sharpens by frequently dropping the final -s of both words. It is a piece of popular economic common sense, close in spirit to saying that the price itself kills one's appetite.