It is definitely not expensive to play soccer in the US, unless this is another weird Bay Area thing. To play in an official rec league like she mentioned does have a bit more cost associated, but in NYC area every league I've seen is < $100 for the season, which will usually span 3 months. Compared to the cost of playing pickup that's expensive, but it's also definitely not a rich person hobby. The cost of a few streaming services or buying a few video games over the course of the year will be more than playing a season or two of soccer.