Answer: cost
Step-by-step explanation: In simple words, cost refers to the total amount of resources used by an organisation for preparing its relative commodity to sell it to the ultimate customer. It is the sum of expenses incurred for the generation of revenue.
It is the total outflow of resources,therefore , the producers often use it for setting prices so that they can generate the amount of profit they are targeting for.
Hence we can conclude that the correct answer is cost.