Affordable means something costs little enough that you can buy it without serious financial strain. An affordable bike might cost $150 instead of $1,500. An affordable lunch is one you can pay for without spending your entire weekly allowance.

What counts as affordable depends on your resources. A $20 book might be affordable for someone with steady income but not for someone saving every dollar for necessities. This is why the same item can be affordable to one person but expensive to another.

The word appears often in discussions about housing, healthcare, and education. When people say “affordable housing,” they mean homes that families can realistically pay for while still covering food, clothing, and other needs. Cities sometimes create affordable housing programs to help people who couldn't otherwise afford to live there.

Something affordable isn't necessarily cheap or low quality. A well-made jacket on sale might be both affordable and excellent. The key is whether you can reasonably pay for it. If buying something would force you to give up other important things, it's not truly affordable for you, no matter how good the price seems.