It cost me 50 dollars to buy the apples.

[joham]

I know we can say 'The apples cost me 50 dollars. ' But is it idiomatic to say 'It cost me 50 dollars to buy the apples'?

 

[Barque]

But is it idiomatic to say 'It cost me 50 dollars to buy the apples'?

You might say it in a very specific situation, but ordinarily, no.

 

[jutfrank]

It isn't really right, in my opinion. You don't pay to buy things. You buy things by paying for them. It's the apples that cost $50, not the buying of the apples.

 

[emsr2d2]

I know we can say 'The apples cost me 50 dollars' but is it idiomatic to say 'It cost me 50 dollars to buy the apples'?

As a learner, I suggest you don't try to start sentences with "but".