It is generally argued that for high-temperature superconductors (HTS) to be cost-competitive in power applica- tions, the wire will have to sell for about $10 per kiloam- pere× meter ($10/kA× m) for operation at 77 K (e.g., NbTi costs around $1/kA× m and Nb3Sn around $8, each at 4.2 K). Given what is already known about the critical current performance of Pb-stabilized Bi-2223 (BSCCO), this cost target may be ex- tremely difficult to realistically achieve for silver-sheathed BSCCO produced by the oxide-powder-in-tube (OPIT) tech- nique. In this paper, we examine the cost of component materi- als, add reasonable estimates for labor and related costs, and arrive at a likely cost/performance (C/P) figure. We also esti- mate the capital cost of a factory to produce HTS conductor by a particular coated conductor method, and calculate the neces- sary production-output and performance parameters necessary to manufacture 10 km/yr of wire and its associated C/P. Our results indicate that the real C/P seen by the customer will re- main substantially above this $10/kA× m target for some time to come.