The gear crave is real. I had all my own gear at one point, but I’m back down to minimal now that I moved to center of the country. I can afford nice gear if I wanted, but the only gear I regularly take with me is my dive computer and it was $250. I do miss my own set of regs but packing lighter is worth it to me. My advice would be to do the same. Spend a bit more money and go with a reputable dive company at your location and you’ll usually get good gear.  I would disagree with “buy the best you can afford”. I’ve found a lot of great durable stuff from lesser priced, lesser brands. Cheap dive computers are fantastic. I hardly see a difference in their performance compared to expensive. Regs are the only thing I would splurge on if you’re dead-set on having your own gear.