Yes it is very expensive. I just paid $300 for both levels. But if i helps me learn Russian, then I'm okay with it. Another expensive program is Pimsleur. I completed all 3 levels of that. I loved Pimsleur, but the vocab is very limited. I wish they had about 50 levels...i'd use them all. The good thing about Pimsleur is that you can get them at many libraries, so it's essentially free!