Regarding tube costs, to put it in perspective, consider smoking one decent cigar per day for a year. The annual cost would be in the $2k to $4k range. Consider drinking three bottles of decent wine per week for a year. The annual cost would be in the $2k to $4k range. So in my value system, $2k per year for tubes is well within the manageable range for someone who has the wherewithal to enjoy a modest 6 figure tube based audio system. Obviously we make our own choices, and they're not going to all be the same. YMMV has never been more true.
When you add in things like phono cartridges and vinyl or other hard media purchases, such costs can easily approach $2k per year or more. Streaming with Qobuz, Tidal, Amazon and Roon subscriptions are typically under $1k per year unless you buy a lot of down loads. Deep pockets help in this hobby, but as someone noted above, it is not hard to get "conditioned" to these expenses. I am more concerned about the scarcity of tubes, especially those made in the American owned Russian factory. I hope that this issue can be resolved soon. Tubes are historically very expensive right now, and some appear to be unavailable at any price. For the long term health of tube focused companies like ARC and CJ, this will have to change.