if you make a decent living.. not going into debt but you don't have 100s of thousands in the bank.. so you not get into this at all?

I see men from many different walks of life, from firemen, construction worker to doctors and lawyers. You will find ladies with different price ranges, find a well reviewed on, within your range and you will be fine.
It's like anything else, don't blow your house payment money on it. Know when You can play and when you can't. Keep it within your means, if that is once a month or once a year.

but being a sport it is both costlier and harbors more risk than does a game.

   There are several cost levels to be enjoyed. As long as you're not a chronic negotiator or simply start fucking beyond your means there is a level for you.

You can answer that question for yourself just by reading a few reviews and seeing what kind of prices the ladies charge.  How much you spend and how often you spend it are both up to you.

I don't have hundreds of thousands in the bank but I still manage to see my ATF, who is in the $300 an hour range, once or twice a month for a two hour date.  It's all about what you want and what you want to spend your money on.  Some guys hobby a few times a year, some a few times a month and some a few times a week...

This whole hobby can become addicting. It's fun meeting a woman and having a great time. But, balance is key. If you plan on seeing a woman every so often, you'll be fine. However, if you get hooked, you'll start having financial issues. Understand what I mean? It's all about fiscal responsibility.

I have a budget.  I never play with the rent money, grocery money, etc.  I found I could increase the cash back for pocket spending money each month.  I do not carry the full amount, just refill my wallet daily as needed.  The excess I accumulate in a safe place, until I have enough to make a date.  I do have to be selective but there are a number of lovely ladies in my price range.  
In a typical month, I manage one date.  Rarely a second one.  If I miss a month, I can make it up later.  
skb

golf, fishing, skiing, even bowling require an investment in a certain amount of equipment, but we all got our equipment for free the day we were born.

There is a big range of participation:

Some guys on here state that they see a gal for an hour 2-3 times/year.

Others are going at it several times a week for multiple hours, even occasional overnights.

You can get a 30 minute quickie for only a $100 from some gals, but other gals charge $1,000 hour and sometimes require a two hour minimum.

In short, if you are careful and keep to a budget within your means, you can get quite a good amount of sexual satisfaction and enjoyment.

make a huge salary but I do carefully put away small amounts of cash each week to be able to see a lady once a month on average (I saw two ladies in November but none in December, etc.).  Sometimes there are calander issues that prevent me from getting away; I also don't hobby in my small hometown.

Once reading reviews you will see there are ladies for $$$ or sometimes a little less depending on area of the country upwards to 1K.  I'm not sure FS or a BBBJ from a 1K gal is that much better than from a $$$ gal.

Good luck and hobby safe.

It looks like I'm in the same boat as you...most likely just one meeting a month.
Unfortunately I don't know if anything less than an hour twice a month will me enough for me.
But unless my prov's feeling extremely generous (or someone else finally hires me), I guess I simply don't have a choice.

This hobby could be a cheaper alternative.
Or consider Motorcycles, woodworking(tools), boating, sports cars, even video games.  In moderation comparatively speaking this hobby is quite affordable. IMHO
Doc

Restoring and racing vintage British sports cars.

I own a boat, sometimes defined as "a hole in the water into which one throws money."  So far, this hobby at least has tighter holes

and while the 72 TR6 is a lot of fun to drive through the mountains, the ladies here are a much hotter ride and I like the curves a whole lot more

tooo bad I can't relate to any of you guys on this thread cause I'm FILTHY RICH ... so rich I forgot which president is on the dollar bill.

Oh, and keystonekid, FS and BBBJ are that much better with a 1 k girl!

Two things control how much money you spend: the frequency of dates and the cost of each date.

Basically, practically anyone can afford this at SOME level.

Of course the real variable is that some of these ladies are just plain amazing and they can be a bit ... uh ... addictive. Then the frequency of dates might ... change.

I do music production, woodworking and competitive shooting as hobbies. Any one of those in a year can easily blow more dough than I spend on hobbying.