Variable costs are the costs that change directly with the change output of products or services – when output is zero, the variable cost will be zero. The total variable cost to a business is calculated by multiplying the total quantity of output with the variable cost per unit of output.
A common example of variable costs is operational expenses that may increase or decrease based on the business activity. A growing business may incur more operating costs such as the wages of part-time staff hired for specific projects or a rise in the cost of utilities – such as electricity, gas or water.
Differential cost refers to the difference between the cost of two alternative decisions. The cost occurs when a business faces several similar options, and a choice must be made by picking one option and dropping the other. When business executives face such situations, they must select the most viable option by comparing the costs and profits of each option.