TOTAL COST: The opportunity cost incurred by all of the factors of production used by a firm to produce of a good or service, including wages paid to labor, rent paid for the land, interest paid to capital owners, and a normal profit paid to entrepreneurs. Total cost is most important in the analysis a firm's short-run production decision and is frequently separated into total variable cost and total fixed. cost. See also | opportunity cost | production | quantity | wage | rent | interest | normal profit | factors of production | short-run production | total variable cost | total fixed cost | economic profit | total revenue | externalities | accounting cost | average total cost | marginal cost |
