Alchemists of the old also had the most modern gear of their era, they were the ones developing the equipment. There are certain works which call for some of the older equipment, but thats because theres nothing that works the way they do in modern tech.

As for costs, I have only spent maybe 7-800 USD for all my equipment. A large portion was bought with a sum of money that was gifted to me for the purpose of buying my lab equipment. :)