What's the cost like?

I played long, long ago and I'm toying with the idea of casually coming back. However, I've heard that the cost to play has skyrocketed. From what I can see the most basic, standard decks start at around $500, and only go up from there.

I'm not interested in coming back if it means spending several thousand dollars a year.

Say if you were to just buy boxes as the new sets came out, how many boxes would you likely have to buy in a year to be able to build a couple distinct decks?

Is 2v2 money drafting still a thing? When does the next base set start?

Any other commentary or advice is welcome. Let me know if this is buying a boat.