Free or for a relatively low cost many Met operas are available also on DVD in local libraries (free) and for people who live in New York, or close to New York (standing room and at reduced prices for seniors and students). My first opera was Britten's "Death in Venice" at the Met in 1974. I didn't have much money, and I could even afford it.
And I like standing room at lot, especially for an opera I barely know (and with excellent singers like Kauffmann or Flores).