Moissanite doesn't even get that expensive. My 1ct stone was $400, and I compared it to $300 low quality white sapphire all the way to $15k loose diamonds of a similar size when shopping.

I think the biggest problem is that most people have not seen moissanite in person, and don't realize that it can compare very favorably (if not more so) to a diamond. Glad to say I've managed to sway a couple of my friends so far on that front ;) Here's some pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chix0r/sets/72157637715040063