Grafted stock of anything is always more costly than cutting grown or seed raised. Otherwise prices for a lot of things including decorative plants just keep going up. And you are looking for a woody plant that is basically a hobbyist item - at least where you are located in an area where it cannot be grown outside. All of which adds up to the fact that there is a certain minimum price range that should be expected to be encountered when shopping for this tree.

If you have been scouring web sites for this plant I don't know how you are going to find any other arena where there is different pricing. Short of moving to a suitable climate area and having the luck of getting a small one cheap at a garden club sale that a member grew themselves. Or getting free cuttings from somebody that has one in their yard, rooting and growing on your own specimen.

and its probably not going to do well as a houseplant ... if for no other reason ... its not going to remain a small plant/tree ..

On that note there are numerous existing and related threads:

Champaca - GardenWeb - Home Design Discussions

I am moving to a more suitable climate so that is not the issue. My tree will move with me. Thats not the major issue. the major issue is that its very hard to find michelia champaca online. Michelia Alba, on the other hand, is very easy to find.

It's 110 bucks in a 3.6 gallon pot because it's being trucked from California. That's just the way it is now - flowering and shade trees in multiple gallon pots coming from the commercial production and distribution system cost over 100 bucks at retail outlets in various markets on a routine basis. Whatever kind they are.

Fragrant Himalayan Champaca (monrovia.com)

On my end it shows $150

Farther from California than here. And the basic situation remains the same - if you want to buy special trees from the commercial production, distribution and sales system you have to fork out what that system has them priced at. With a retail price at the end of the sequence of $150 - or more - for a tree that is not in a small size being pretty typical.

Here in my area at the moment I am not seeing any magnolias of any kind that are in anything less than a 3 (or maybe sometimes a 2) gallon pot. (And these smaller starters are of common, deciduous shrubby kinds like star magnolia). With many varieties only being available in a 5 gallon or larger container.

There will be pressure from the marketplace to present these in larger sizes just because of the fact that they are much more likely to sell with flowers on them.