Which pets cost more overall?

i myself have owned dogs and when i was young i used to raise the little wild lizards u find in your yard and feed them any wild bugs i caught but i was thinking of raising and having a reptile pet like a leopard gecko or moniter but which costs more the normals- dogs ,cats , hamsters , mice , rats, etc... or exotics- scorpions ,snakes, geckos, lizards , moniters ,spiders etc... i know the cages for reptiles and insects can becostly but im also talking about food wise over time i can feed a dog quite easily but i dont want to branch out if i wont be able to feed an exotic properly but in all honesty im looking for a pet easly handleable like a gecko and is just chill thatdoesnt bark and sit so i wanted to branch for reptiles or insects possibly amphibians like a salamander