I’m about to give up on this hobby due to the stupid high prices of bulbs and switches. I have a few bulbs and switches for testing. The amount of money I would have to spend outfitting the rest of my house with smart items is daunting.
I understand that companies need to make money but this market won’t go mainstream if they don’t figure out the pricing.
As with all new tech it will eventually get there.
Home automation is not cheap. This is why unless you have indespensible income, I advise you do things slowly over time. Trying to outfit your entire house at once is just too costly. Also, some people like myself consider this a fun hobby, comparable to golfing, biking, etc. and if you compare costs that way, it doesn’t feel as bad 
You can always check out this thread for good deals and discounts.
That is a good point. It is a hobby, just like my truck. I hope these prices drop soon though.
Example, my kitchen has two banks of lights. 5 recessed on my and 6 on the other. Both banks are three way. I already spend $70 on a three way switch setup for one bank. Now I need to spend $70 on the other bank.
Then next to that I have an eating area with its own 3-way switch. It only has 3 standard bulbs so for that area it would be around $50 for three connected bulbs.
$120 to finish off my kitchen…
What kind of pricing are you paying and what kind of pricing would you like to see per item?
Bulbs are typically fairly cheap, unless you’re getting ones that support color changes.
It also comes down to developing a plan. If you have a fixture with 2 lights, it is slightly cheaper to go with bulbs (if at full price of about $15 each) than to go with a switch (about $35) and a pair of cheap LEDs ($2 each).
If that fixture has 3 lights, it is a little bit cheaper to go with a switch and dumb LEDs.
For my current place, I felt it was really only feasible to go with switches to control my bathroom fan and kitchen lights (fluorescent tubes). Everywhere else, it made sense to just go with Hue bulbs (old lux were $20 and white are $15 at normal retail price).
It also comes down to time and effort. Do you want to spend the time to re-wire all the switches and outlets? If not, bulbs and pocket sockets get a big boost due to simplified installs.