To avail the services of the Inn that could totally transform the power and ability of a mortal, the price was way more than something a mortal could typically actually afford. There were a few different reasons for this.
Lex was not merely copying the strategy used by the resort, though they had probably mastered the art of demand and supply. The price was determined by the resource used. The other services offered by the Inn were run by the system, so Lex did not need to worry about how to manage them. These services, however, which required him to provide the materials himself, had to be priced based on the resources used.
Naturally, everything within the Inn was invaluable based solely on the fact that it was a newborn realm, if nothing else. Another reason was that such services simply couldn't be made available en masse. By appropriately pricing them, they could ensure that the drain on the resources would be reduced drastically.
