Looking on at a glance Microsoft stacks will seem much more expensive but I wouldn't say that it is more expensive for all development purposes. It depends on what you require. There are persons who develop with Microsoft for the same cost they pay to develop with MERN or other stacks. I can build out a website with ASP .NET that is not necessarily costly. If you are going to use Microsoft enterprise versions then it can be very costly.
Is the Microsoft stack seem more expensive than the rest for web and software development?
Looking on at a glance Microsoft stacks will seem much more expensive but I wouldn't say that it is more expensive for all development purposes. It depends on what you require. There are persons who develop with Microsoft for the same cost they pay to develop with MERN or other stacks. I can build out a website with ASP .NET that is not necessarily costly. If you are going to use Microsoft enterprise versions then it can be very costly.