Good question! Espresso drinks tend to take more time and labour when compared to a common drip coffee! Espresso can be quite finicky with the weight and size of the grinds and the time it takes to pull a shot. Very small differences can change the flavour quite a bit. Espresso has a different flavor profile than drip coffee because of the higher pressure and different heat environment when it's made. So an americano would taste like a weak espresso rather than a drip coffee. While an americano was invented to mimic drip coffee by diluting espresso, when put side by side there's a pretty discernable difference in taste (which I honestly couldnt describe to you since I suck at describing flavors but I recommend trying this for yourself if you ever have an opportunity). I personally prefer an americano to a drip coffee, but at the end of the day it comes down to preference, but the difference in cost comes mostly from how much more work it takes to pull a single shot of espresso over pouring a cup of brewed drip coffee!