I've never owned a crestie so I can't offer an opinion there. But my beardie is absolutely awesome. She's like a scaley dogIf you get a sub-adult or adult then the feeding cost would be much less. I find the most expensive part was getting the tank (75 gallon) and the uvb bulb (I use a megaray that I replace once a year). Of course she is an adult now and doesn't eat as many buggies. But she is very entertaining and cracks me up all the time.
Happy not-so-little lizard
Cuddling
Hanging out with one of my dogs
Good luck and if you need anymore info on beardies at least, just pm me
Erin