There are alot of different things that can increase the cost of a CD. Studio time......beats......features. Mixdown and mastering. Clear trays....full color inserts, traycards or disc imprint......# of pages. Then you need to factor in the price of photography......art design for the CD, posters and fliers.....and the actual printing of posters and fliers. Everything that you spend money on in connection with that project is considered a part of the cost......and is RECOUPABLE.
The lowest amount I spent on a project was about $3,500 on our first CD. The most I spent was roughly $8,500 on the IK album. But I didn't have to worry about beats and studio time. So that cut my costs significantly.
Discmakers are the biggest rip-off artists in the industry.