Well, the inflation rate must be soaring cause when I left FSI in Dec 2000 I had paid 30,000. I didn't do any CFI courses though. If I had have done my CFI's and been hired by FSI they would have reimbursed much of the CFI cost. There was no big deposit, however if you had no money in your account of course you couldn't fly.
Just be sure to compare apples with apples. Almost all my time at FSI was multi; the entire instrument course is done in the Seminole. Much more realistic and challenging than a C172! At the 'cheaper' schools you graduate with the minimum hours required for the multi rating (something like 10!) and the rest is single engine time...
Oh, and if you want to talk figures, I left school in December, got a job in January 2001 and have been working ever since. Someone I know went to a less expensive school before I went to FSI, came back long after me and didn't get a job till early 2002! Basically, they lost a whole years salary so who really paid more?!
Oh and by the way Doudou $60,000-$24,000=$36,000 not $38,000...and a chief pilot for a regional once told me 'bought time' doesn't get you many points! And, for that $20,000 how much spin training/unusual attitude work would you get (something important that is missing from the curriculum of many places). What was the CRM course like?
Choice of school is a very personal thing. If I had my time over I would go back to FSI. That doesn't mean there aren't other better, cheaper places, like I said before, just my opinion!
It is just like further education. Do you want to go to a community college or an Ivy League school? Gather all the information, think it over, then pick whatever floats your boat!!!