I think it depends on the person and what they consider they need. To be competitive in Nitro it would have cost me over 1/3 more than electric with the cars they are running down here. I run a brushless and have very little cost. 3 battery packs were just over $90 and a single charger $100 for a nice one. I could have gone cheaper. There are cost in nitro and electric. Depending on the level you want to keep your car at. Anyone that cuts coms every week is on the high end. There is the cost of gas in nitro which is no worse than my initial battery cost and I only replace 1 pack per year. Batteries can last well more than a year and a used pack from a top end racer is more than good enough for club racing. Either type of vehicle can be as expensive as you want to make it. I spend about $25 per week to race. $10 for entry and the other 15 for food and parts(If i don't need a part it goes into the fund when I need a bigger part.). Its a load of crap that electric is more expensive. If you are in a class that you have to have everything perfectly tweaked to run it will be expensive in Nitro or electric. The problem is you pay for your power source up front in electric.

I find it interesting that people people will complain about a motor and ESC costing $200 in electric but will buy an engine worth that or more in Nitro and say electric is more expensive. They say batteries are expensive but don't mention the cost for a years worth of fuel running every weekend(It was here). What is the cost of an electric starter? That is the equivalent of a battery charger. Goods chargers can be had for $50. What about cleaning supplies? Is there anything you have to use to cut through the grease?

I wouldn't even dream of running a brushed setup. It makes no sense. Yes running a mod motor will cost you more. But getting the right mod motors can cut down on maintenance levels. Some require more than others. If I have to replace my brushless motor it will be around $70. Otherwise a new set of bearings for $12.

$300 in batteries every year? They think about selling the old ones? (You should also subtract the resale cost from your total cost.) Plus very few people in dirt need a $50 pack. Go buy a used one from the top end guys.

Bottom line in my book is that if you do the right research in Electric or Nitro you can get a good dependable setup and run it relatively cheap compared to many people in the hobby. The right setup will also be fairly competitive so that you have chances of making it into the A-main races and actually be up in the front.