I'm not sure where you're buying your ESP8266, but mine run less than a buck (on a little dev board). Aliexpress -> From $0.99 -> four-pack of ESP8266 for $3.1

I'm not sure where you're buying your ESP8266, but mine run less than a buck (on a little dev board). Aliexpress -> From $0.99 -> four-pack of ESP8266 for $3.19. Even less when they have a sale.