The juice is heavily price-gouged and not exactly cheap if you buy it pre-mixed, but yes, hardware is expensive and the replacement coils for refillable-but-not-rebuildable systems aren't cheap either. It can be cheaper than cigarettes, but there's a good chance it won't be significantly so if you aren't buying in bulk and are replacing your coils often. Disposables vapes and cartridge systems are so addictive and easy to use anywhere that they are more expensive than cigarettes in my experience.