Yes, it depends on the perfume. Very much so. Some fragrance components are very very expensive in themselves. Sandalwood, Rose Otto, and other absolutes, are very expensive. Vanilla is volatile and difficult to capture. There is a slew of difficulties when you start looking at proper fragrance chemistry.
The more expensive colognes are meant to be more concentrated with less of the ‘perfumers alcohol’ in them and they are more expertly formulated so the fragrance last longer on the skin.
It really depends on your taste, of course. I can NOT wear Channel No.5 because something about my body chemistry makes it smell like cat pee. Many many of the upmarket scents are like that on me and I don’t know why.
Right now I’m enjoying ‘Contradiction’ and ‘Eternity’ by Calvin Klein. In high school I loved ‘Vanderbilt’. I bought some Chanel ‘Chance’ but I wear it sparingly. There’s a melon element to it I’ve grown sick of.
I often have better luck by blending two cheaper fragrances to get what I want. I have a musky oriental cheapie called Maroussia, but it doesn’t smell like a complete fragrance to me. By adding another cheapie, a single note jasmine fragrance from Coty, I get a really nice rounded scent.
For those of you who live in a dry climate or just have dry skin, put an unscented moisturiser on where you spray your perfume. You’ll get longer staying power. Fragrance evaporates more quickly off of dry skin… and that’s dry as in lack of oil, not dry as in lack-of-water.