Xbox isn't that expensive unless your dumb enough to try to pay with a credit card.
I buy 12 month cards at 50 dollars making it less then $4.20 a month
Three month cards are $20 so $6.66 or so a month
One month cards are eight bucks each and definitely not worth it.
But at the 3 and 12 month and not that big a deal, and the system for playing with friends is a lot easier to use, plus a buncha free content, some awesome games[Good version of the Orange box, Halo series. But in contrast PS3 has Little big planet, the only game I really envy about the PS3], really makes it all worth it.
Plus limited backwards compatibility =P [New PS3= no backwards compatibility, Wii has full gamecube backwards compatibility]
As well I also feel the xbox controllers are more... comfortable for gaming.
All in all the +$5 or so dollars a month really shouldn't determine the console you get, it should be based more on personal preference.
If you want something like a media center, instead of the gaming experience, go for PS3.
If you want online multi-player with ease of access and easier playing[better controller], go Xbox 360.
Wii fits somewhere, but i'm not sure where...
PC is the ultimate everything, although controls are a bit hard to first get used to, and even then they never get as comfortable as a controller[although Xbox controllers can be configured to work on PCs, adding in another element of awesome]
But remember, classics never get old so N64 will always be one of my absolute favorites forever and ever.
