and the point of the rant is?
Yes, there are some expenses, but if you think you can do your training at 60gbp/hr DUAL and, well at least in the UK, all the flight test fees and ATPL exam fees, good luck.
why consider hotel per night? If you're staying in the US longer, monthly board or sharing 'pilot apartment' etc works out cheaper.
Yes, some go to Latvia, Hungary or Poland for cheaper timebuilding compared to (most of) UK schools. It may not be worth going to US for small amount of training considering the fixed expenses, but few weeks/month timebuilding in interesting area, could.
SEVIS fee depends on the type of visa. For some, it's lower than that.