Okay, so I might be biased but as 8+ year vegan the price barrier is such a cop out. My grocery budget went DOWN after I stopped buying meat. My girlfriend and I eat for a whole month for about $350, breakfast, lunch, dinner. There is more to vegan diets than those lame impossible/bocca/gardiens prepackaged frozen junk, I literally never buy any of it.
Tofu, beans and rice are cheap as hell. Like, of course prepared food is expensive but if you learn the basic easy ways to prepare it yourself you will save a ton. I use this recipe a ton as a base and then change the spices a bit for the specific dish. This site also has a ton of easy basic recipes.
Of course I agree that meat subsidarys are the real problem, but I flat out refuse to accept "veganism is expensive" as a legitimate claim.