People forget just how massively labour costs figure into the price of workshop instrument vs mass-produced factory instruments. Had a long chat with Sheldon Dingwall and confirmed with him that while most people think his basses are expensive (and they're not cheap), he pays his workers a fair wage in a country where the cost of living is very high. Godins are also from Canada, but they are the largest manufacturer in the country with huge economies of scale.
Sadowsky Metros are made in Japan - if you've been to Japan you'll know that the cost of living is very high, so it's not very much cheaper to produce there than it is in the States for the most part.
We're spoilt by the mass-produced machine-made instruments we get from China (getting more expensive as the cost of living there increases), Korea, Indonesia etc. Many of us wouldn't be happy with the per-hour income that high-end luthiers and workshops make.