It's almost like people have different taste in food!

It's also kind of a wild take "I have nearly zero experience in <thing from other culture> and I don't understand why people from that culture enjoy it"

Re price and prep

First, it's quite difficult to make. Try it, lol.. but by your admission you haven't had anything decent.

Second - in Japan, Ramen is mostly pretty cheap, a lot of places have a vending machine where you pay for a bowl and get a ticket with an order number. It's really not a fancy or pricey experience unless you're somewhere upmarket.