There is reason for their seemingly high prices it is because of how accurately the bricks are built. They are meant to be a precise size to something like 0.002 mm and you can see it is a quality product compared to Mega Blocks which just feels cheap.

I'd say a normal set goes for about $0.10 a piece, prices will go up if they require a license (Star Wars) or have lots of special abnormal pieces.

Minifigs cost a lot more to make, they are also collectable themselves. I have collected sets since I was three years old and I have only recently discovered how valuable and collectable just the minifigs are to some people.