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La transformation qui plaît aux habitants coûte cher.

La transformation qui plaît aux habitants coûte cher.
The transformation that appeals to the inhabitants is expensive.
From Lesson 313:Transforming verbs into nouns·French

Questions & Answers about La transformation qui plaît aux habitants coûte cher.

What verbal phrase does the nominalized word la transformation replace here?
It acts as a concise replacement for a verbal clause like le fait de transformer (the act of transforming) or ce qu'on a transformé (what was transformed). Nominalization allows you to express complex actions as simple noun subjects, which is very common in B2-level written French.
Since la transformation is feminine, why isn't it coûte chère?
In this sentence, cher acts as an adverb modifying the verb coûter (to cost), rather than an adjective modifying the noun transformation. When cher is used with verbs like coûter, payer, or vendre, it is invariable and always stays in its masculine singular form.
Why is it aux habitants instead of just les habitants?
The verb plaire (to please or to appeal to) must be followed by the preposition à when indicating who is pleased (plaire à quelqu'un). Here, à merges with the plural article les to form the mandatory contraction aux.
Why do we use the relative pronoun qui here instead of que?
We use qui because it acts as the subject of the verb plaît (the transformation is the thing doing the pleasing). You would only use que if it were the direct object, such as in la transformation que vous voyez (the transformation that you see).

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