---
slug: "OpportunityCost"
name: "OpportunityCost"
type: "Strategy"
layer: "Mind"
ref: "OpportunityCost#7f52"
sema_id: "sema:OpportunityCost#mh:SHA-256:7f526c52acf919aabffa14287cd4ed442fb4c419a6ad78cfe0de1cf19d6146da"
tags: ["Mind","Strategy"]
updated: 2026-11-11
mindscape: "bootstrap"
index_url: https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/index.json
url: https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/OpportunityCost/
related: ["Budget","Value","RegretMinimization","SunkCostIgnore"]
---

# OpportunityCost

Comparative valuation against the best alternative

Layer: Mind · Category: Strategy

## Mechanism

Alternative Valuation: Cost of any choice includes value of best forgone alternative. Don't just ask "Is this good?" Ask "Is this better than what else I could do with same resources?" Time/money/attention spent here can't be spent elsewhere. It explicitly deducts the value of the foregone alternative from the [Budget](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Budget.md) calculation.

## Invariants

- Cost includes the [Value](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Value.md) of the best forgone alternative, not only the resources consumed.

## Preconditions

- Choice set > 1
- Resource constraint

## Postconditions

- Implicit cost made explicit

## Failure modes

- Analysis Paralysis: Infinite search for the perfect alternative prevents any action.

## Builds on

- [Budget](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Budget.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Value](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Value.md) (Infrastructure; References)

## Used by

- [RegretMinimization](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/RegretMinimization.md) (Mind; References)
- [SunkCostIgnore](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/SunkCostIgnore.md) (Mind; References)

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:OpportunityCost#mh:SHA-256:7f526c52acf919aabffa14287cd4ed442fb4c419a6ad78cfe0de1cf19d6146da`
- Ref: `OpportunityCost#7f52`
- Supersedes:
  - `sema:OpportunityCost#mh:SHA-256:1c66f1b8317b3a67b9b8d9f75aee7499244c105ab54012f7d7964af111da897e`
  - `sema:OpportunityCost#mh:SHA-256:ab1b4c48b8b40b35607e94fa11f1488c23b07b4c846daca0aef109b8a55cd357`

## Links

- [Pattern page](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/OpportunityCost/)
- [View in the interactive graph](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/#OpportunityCost)
- [JSON](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/OpportunityCost.json)
- [Index of all patterns](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/index.json)