how much is a cup of coffe

In lesson 4.1 hear it say it.   Cuanto cuesto un cafe.[translate]   How much is a cup od coffe.    if a person in their feeble effort tried to say Como mucho  cuesto una cafe. Would they be understood?

Probably with a smile in their face. I would just memorize cuanto cuesta modified. I know if I am hungry, I could just point to my stomach and say "hambre" or if I have a headache just point to my head and say dolor and act like I am in pain. So personally, I just do a lot of memorization with common phrases and sentences.

I might be initially confused by "como mucho cuesta una cafe".  I might initially think you are trying to say that coffee is expensive.  Then I will realize you are asking a question.  At that point, I may figure that you are inquiring about the cost.  You can do a lot of translating word for word except when you can't which is quite often.

I think there are some expressions that are set, standard phrases that are understood across the Spanish speaking world, and that "cuánto cuesta" is one of them.

I can tell you that when I was in Cuba a couple of months ago I used "cuánto cuesta" daily to hire a bicitaxi or regular car taxi, since they don't have meters and you need to agree on a price in advance. So, "¿cuánto questa ir a Hotel Nacionál?" or wherever I wanted to go got me a price that I could agree to or negotiate from.

Not to nitpick, but the spelling of the phrase is cuánto cuesta, not cuanto cuesto. I have learned from hard experience that inclusion or omission of accent marks, and that learning the spelling of words right the first time is easier than unlearning bad habits. Again, not picking on you, just hoping to share some of the little experience that I have learning Spanish.

It's a good reminder.

I believe it would all depend on the situation, I mean, if you are at a coffee shop or at a restaurant, then I guess people would be able to figure it out. However it is not the best translation. 

As Dan-H24 mentioned, it is better to learn things in the right way from the start. If you memorize "cuánto cuesta" it's more than enough to make yourself understood, regardless of what you're asking. "Como mucho cuesto" does not make a lot of sense and therefore some people may not understand what you're trying to ask.

I hope this helps answer your question!