I now race on a tight budget since we bought a house. I use to race electris off road but switch over to nitro.
I have found that the cost of running either class about the same if you consider all the pro and cons of maintaining them at a resonable level.
The cheapest class to run is nitro Stadium truck. Almost half of a 8 th scale.
My budget is $50 a week and that has to pay for everything and club , race fees. Up date motors , tires and everything else thats needed.
I can easy do it with the stadium but the 8th scale is a struggle. I dont buy the best of everything but seem to be just as competive with a buget 4x as much.
I was lucky as i had all the good gear before I had to start being on a tight budget.
Hope this helps...