To echo the above, it really is as expensive as you make it.
I've always been of the collecting mindset, and have always liked cool-looking gear/kit (especially as growing up, I never had a lot of money and would be open-mouthed going around the stalls at the War & Peace Show - since 1987 - so now that I have some income, I am compensating for that period in my life) so I'll admit to buying 'Gucci' kit that is expensive. I square this with the 'buy cheap, buy twice' philosophy.
I have bought cheap airsoft gear before I was really earning a salary and it was utter bobbins.
For newcomers to the hobby, middle tier and lower tier gear is at a better quality. It has never been easier to buy cheap but decent RiFs from Europe with the Polish lads at Gunfire and Taiwan Gun and they also stock the better entry level gear at an affordable price. I recently bought 1,000 decent branded BBs from Poland for a little over €1...1,000ml of green gas for €6...
EBay is also a resource that allows decent kit to be bought at good prices and so do the forums (more now than then...) and FaceBook (as I am led to believe).
Is it getting more expensive? I would say 'no'. Site fees in some of the places I have gone have slightly increased, and petrol costs continue to increase, but on the whole, I don't think there has been a better time to be a noobie.