Let's assume I require an application made for my windows 8 phone and if I were to consult an agency which provides such a service, how much would a small app cost me? Would they give me a price based on the nature of the app or purely on the time it takes to make? Also, iOS apps start from approx. $3000, would WP8 apps be more expensive than this?

Would appreciate any info.

P.S. Sorry if this is not the right forum.

Most companies that do stuff like that have two different ways of charging.
It really depends on your project and they'll give you a quote of how much it will cost.
If the project is really small and easy to do, they'll charge a flat fee. If it's hard and will take long, they'll charge by the hour, which I'm guessing is NOT cheap.

You would be better off asking the companies how much it costs.

Thanks for that, there are only two companies that I know of like this in Australia. Any more info regarding any int'l companies would be excellent. Also, if anybody has had an app made for them (any operating system) please share some details regarding cost and time.