Certainly apples get more expensive. The US exports its best to Japan, and there they pay a lot, a domestic apple would run 500 yen or nearly 5 USD. In specialty shops you can get more expensive gift fruit.
I tried the 2.5 a pound CC from Costco, and they are good. Hard texture, juicy, good acid balance and appropriate sweetness, but the flavor while not bad wasn't as good as Fuji or Cripps Pink as mentioned. Cripps has a short shelf life and gets soft, fluffy textured easily, while Fuji has an inferior color if that's your thing. Overall, I'd save the money for other apples, maybe oranges