GrapheneOS is no harder to install or use than LineageOS. If anything, it is easier, since the documentation is far better and almost always applicable to all supported devices.
It’s not about hard/easy, it’s the supported devices. I spend very little on phones (current one is a OnePlus Nord, which I bought for 250€) as I don’t like to use them.
Graphene is Google Pixel only still. The current cheapest available looks like the Pixel 7A at £379 (new). So I agree, the added cost doesn't seem worth it.
