I'm probably going to get into that later. There aren't many of these HEMA schools around, and they're not cheap. Plus the equipment. Don't those suits of armor go for $5000 at least? I know I'd want a really good fencing helmet that would protect against accidental power thrusts to not lose eyeballs.
It's true HEMA ain't generally cheap if you want to go full contact with steel weapons, though you can outfit yourself in full kit for steel longsword for about $1200 (sometimes less), including a weapon. Most club's senior members upgrade gear over time, and often sell/give old gear to newbies, so sometimes you can get outfitted cheaper.
For HMB armour, which isn't HEMA in the strictest sense of the term anyway, yes, it's expensive.
For people doing armoured HEMA, the armour is likewise expensive, and needs to be authentic. HMB armour is rather overbuilt to withstand the rigors of the sport, much In the same way modern sparring longsword simulators are compared to their historical counterparts.
We occasionally have gotten LARPers come to our club but they never last. Neither do SCA folk, since what we teach isn't always useful for their context.
We have had HMB guys crosstrain with us, to generally good effect, but again, not always useful for their context.
Edit: For HEMA on the cheap, there is dussack, singlestick, wrestling, and dagger, all of which are very inexpensive. However, wrestling and dagger are particularly dangerous for the inexperienced. In a happy middle ground is rapier, which could be done for maybe half the price of longsword, though some tournaments may have more stringent gear requirements which may bump up the needed PPE.
I have never LARPed, but I hear it's outrageously fun. I do however, sling d20s across tables on a regular basis.
or 'Ripping Yarns', Michael Palin's series.
