Sure but it is worth baring in mind the context-- that this is a $50 PC.

Exactly.

~$100 for a monitor (which can also be used with other computers) isn't expensive when we are talking about a $50 board.

Whether "it's expensive" depends entirely on the market. There are markets (developing countries, education) where tripling the total cost of the setup, compared to using a monitor you already have, is significant.

Yes, I get that. Hence the bit where I said Everyone has different levels for what "expensive" means.

My apologies, between your two comments I was confused about the point you were making.