When I decided to take the leap into bike touring, I dropped $5K on a Waterford Adventure Cycle (T1900, I believe) with S&S couplers and good quality components. It is a fabulous touring bike, but there are lots of much cheaper ones available that do the same job.

As for touring costs, you will have a better idea after you take a short, say, 1 week tour. Do you like stealth camping exclusively or is a motel every so often important. What about couchsurfing? I find eating to be as much a part of the cost as lodging. Do you want to cook every meal on a camp stove or are restaurants something you prefer? Buy provisions and make meals or get sandwiches for lunch?

Bike touring has enough challenges without having to forgo desired lodging and eating options to save money, especially, if money isn't really a worry.

If it matters, my tours tend to be 1 month long and I prefer a combination of getting hosted (couchsurfing and warmshowers) and motels and buying sandwiches for lunch and alternating eating at restaurants and buying and preparing food from a grocery store for breakfast and dinner. Of late, I been thinking about taking longer tours.

Ray