come down to — to be the most important aspect of something
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To mean that everything depends on or is mainly about one main thing.
Say it like a native
Textbook Ultimately, the decision is contingent upon the budget.
Native It all comes down to the budget.
'Contingent upon' is formal/legal; 'it comes down to' is how people name the deciding factor in speech.
Pattern: come down to + noun/gerund
In use
- In the end, choosing the right university comes down to what you want to study.daily life
- When deciding where to live, it often comes down to cost and convenience.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ In the end it comes down on the price.
✓ In the end it comes down to the price.
'Come down TO' the key factor — not 'down on'.
Common collocations
it comes down to + factor— money, trust, the details, what you want
Don't confuse it
Not about physically moving down; it's about the main reason or factor.