My ska bass is my ultimate budget instrument.
The initial Jazz copy was picked up for free as it was in a bit of a state. The EMG eq I'd had for more years than I care to think about, this is the 4th or 5th bass it's been in, so I'm not costing that. Likewise the Schaller pickup which has been in the spares box for at least 15 years. The major outlay was the neck, which was 50. Decal was a tenner, paint about the same, oil was a fiver. Chequer tape was 3 quid, the Trojan logo roughly the same. So it owes me 90 plus a lot of elbow grease.
Admittedly my gig rig is expensive, but in theory with a big PA I could get away with the Behringer combo I use for rehearsals, which was 30 quid.