Film costs versus digital costs are a whole different issue, and one that varies immensely for any given photographer.
Some people will spend 3000 dollars on a digital camera and then shoot it only at holidays and special occasions. Likewise, some film shooters will buy a Leica for 3000 dollars and do the same thing. Let's say you are an amateur and shoot two rolls a week of Tri-X. At my lab, black and white developing is 5.10, plus 4.45 for a contact sheet. That means 1986 dollars a year in processing fees, plus 385 dollars for the film (if you bought each one individually at B&H). Frankly, that's a lot, but you can bring down the costs a great deal if you process for yourself, buy in bulk, if you shoot less, or if you don't get a contact sheet etc etc. It will depend on the person. I guess my point is that you need to figure out how much you shoot, what type of stuff you like to shoot, figure out the costs, and then factor in your preferences and predjudices. That is the only way to really decide what is right for you.
For me, I KNOW that I could be saving money shooting digital, as I shoot more than two rolls a week, I shoot a lot of slide film, and I shoot Medium and large formats as well. But that said, I like to shoot film, both for its characteristics and for the cameras that use it, so that is what I have chosen....for the most part anyway.
