IME, the array only needs phased matched mics if you're doing SDB, or something else that cares deeply about audio fidelity.
I've never used phased matched mics in my arrays (can't afford it!) and also have never needed to "bin" them. ("pair-by-pair" testing).
Couldn't one instead record at a higher sample rate (192 KHz+) and then align in software instead of phase matching the mics?
I don't know enough about this so maybe dumb question, but couldn't you use DSP to correct phase between microphones if you knew their relative differences?
The actual mic capsules are likly far cheaper than $1 a piece (probably closer to $0.10 than $1) but the mics in an array need to be phased-matched. The two approaches to getting phased microphones are 1) building them using precision techniques so they are phased-match from the start (which is expensive and why pro phase-matched mics are around $1,000 each), or 2) get a whole pile of cheap mic, test them one-by-one (or really, pair-by-pair) and select the mics that are best phased-match to use them in the array. The #2 approach is cheaper, but does add cost.