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I used windows for about 30 years, and just about the whole time, my fellow military members, mostly pilots in the air traffic control towers acting as Supervisors of Flying, were telling me, in the long run MAC is cheaper.
Of course I didn't believe them.
After I retired out of the USAF and after 5 years with the F.A.A. I finally decided that an Apple was worth giving a try.
It was only about a $100.00 more for the I-Mac at the BX and I had the funds at that time.

It's been about 16 years now that I've been using Apple, and after I compare the cost of virus programs, updates and O.S. updates, I have come to realize the hard cold fact that ... all those years, my military friends were telling me the truth.

You either pay up front .... or ... you pay in the long run.
And in the long run, Windows is MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE !

And in the long run, Windows is MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE !

It all depends on the apps you use. I work with someone who requires things in Access format. Access is not part of the Mac version of Office, and the OpenOffice DB apps is unusable. As it is, I am using an Apple owned product, FileMaker Pro, to generate material that goes to Excel, adds a ranking function, and then gets exported to Access, where the Reports are customized.

On the hardware side, the iMac can be a good value, IF you like what they offer. The Mac Mini has not been serious updated in FIVE YEARS. The Mac Pro was bold, but the market didn't want zero slots and all external devices. Tim Cook has largely ignored the Mac.

One of the last iMacs I had was wrecked by my then three year-old, who decided to stick something in the headphone jack. He managed to do it in such a way that the internal speakers were permanently cut out, and there was no reasonable way to to effect a real repair, as replacing the main board is a major headache, and real expense as well. These aren't designed to be serviced. I got around the problem temporarily with a Bluetooth speaker. It was inelegant, but kind of worked (the Bluetooth was fussy in that Snow Leopard Generation of 23" iMac.) For me, it wasn't a cheaper solution. Too bad, as they make the best all-in-one hardware, even if it isn't very serviceable, and the OS goes obsolete before the system would die a natural death.

There are also entire categories of software that STILL aren't available for Mac (e.g. mainstream business enterprise ERP/Accounting and CRM). You can use Boot Camp, but what's the point, then?