Fixed cost

Cost and management accounting.

A fixed cost is a cost which stays the same regardless of the level of production or other activity.

Contrasted with a variable cost.

Variable costs are generally easier to change - especially to reduce - when necessary, compared with fixed costs.

Therefore a lower-risk operational strategy is normally to have a lower proportion of fixed costs in the total cost structure, and a higher proportion of variable costs.

This proportion is sometimes known as operational gearing.

See also

• Break even point
• Cost behaviour
• Direct costs
• Expense
• Flexible budgeting
• Indirect costs
• Management accounting
• Operational gearing
• Opportunity cost
• Overheads
• Semi-fixed cost
• Semi-variable cost
• Standard cost
• Sunk costs
• Total cost
• Variable cost