For the lower end calculating it as minimum wage it’s the equivalent of $5,800.

Not a bad deal, but quite expensive still

Is it a good price though? The average wage for a commoner is 2 sp per day. The equivalent to 100 days wages for a unskilled worker.

Skilled workers earn about 2 gp per day. So this represents 10 days wages. A better bargain for sure.

Adventurers are always loaded with money, so as players our view is skewed.

It’s kinda a game flaw. Combat is usually encouraged by most modules, and fleeing is typically a bad option mechanically. So what else do players do?

The only solution is to make running the painfully obvious choice