Ser vs. estar when using "cuánto"?

Question

Should you use ser or estar when asking how much something costs?

Example: ¿Cuánto (son/estan) las bananas? - How much are the bananas?

Answer 1

I always use "¿Cuánto cuesta?" : "¿Cuánto cuestan las bananas?"

But here is a whole thread discussing this topic:

link text

Including this answer by Lazarus (who I know is trustworthy):

En España:

¿A cuánto está el kilo de pollo? (never heard it for jackets; normally when you buy things according to their weight or size)

¿Cuánto es la chaqueta? (informal, but frequent)

¿Cuánto cuesta la chaqueta? (standard)

¿Cuánto es?

Not correct: ¿Cuánto está la chaqueta? X (unheard of in Spain)

I hope I didn't forget any common expression.

Thanks! =) - LemonTea, Oct 31, 2011