This study is based on 366 core journal articles in the CNKI database from 2000 to 2023, and visualizes the hotspots and trends in the field of engineering project cost management by using CiteSpace software. It has found that cost forecasting, cost control, cost analysis, and cost accounting are the main research hotspots in this field; evolutionary game theory, earned value method, informatization, and BP algorithm are commonly-used research methods. The research process can be divided into four stages: the early stage focuses on measures for cost management in different stages, the middle stage focuses on intuitive quantification of cost management, the middle and later stages recognize the complexity of cost management and focus on scientific control methods, and the later stage emphasizes the internal relationship between cost and quality, and the internal cost management mechanism of construction enterprises. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the research trends in the field of engineering project cost management, thus providing guidance and inspiration for relevant scholars and practitioners.