@sadecatgirl
It's true, but not
that much different to VU. At least, not that different these days when the minimum spend for a lot of VU products is 750cr+ and there's quite a few devs pushing 950cr for the majority of their products. I guess the flip side is it's easier and cheaper overall to make a nice avi from the get-go on VU now than it was in 2010-15.
You get a
lot more for your money on SL though, even if individual items cost more than a VU equivilent. Buying a single, normal price top can potentially have multiple colour/trim options and comes in multiple sizes. If you want the same top or bottoms in VU for different sizes or colours, you have to re-buy it for every single one. Overall SL works out much, much better value for what you buy and Lindens aren't a dead-end currency; you can genuinely make good real money with them or use stock market stuff to make it go further.
Also worth noting that you automatically save a metric ton of money, depending on how much variety you enjoy, when it comes to sizing, scale and utility on SL. Everything that you need scalers for on VU is completely free and integral on SL. Pose/position adjustments? Also free and integral. Even the number of poses, features and options you get with furniture. To a lesser extent rooms and visuals follow a similar effect. Want a night-time scenery with specific lighting? Completely free and customizable on SL; you don't need to buy or find specific rooms or things for it. Just more bang for your buck vs VU's current product pricing.