I have a $15 cast iron that is technically a “low-quality” one. I got it about 8 years ago now, and I’m keeping it forever because of how easy it is to use (and because I know that it will only keep getting better—cast iron pans improve with age and use).
Maintenance is very minimal once you get into a groove with a cast iron pan. To be honest, I rarely even wash mine—only if what I’ve cooked leaves a residue that I don’t want to taste in the next thing I’m cooking—which actually makes it easier to use than most other pans.
Cast iron does cook things differently than stainless steel pans, but every new type of pan will cook things differently. That’s just to say when I started using it, it definitely didn’t feel easier. But as I got used to it (and as I used it more, improving the seasoning), that changed.
I use mine for everything, including things that I’ve read will “never work” with cast iron or that you “shouldn’t cook” with cast iron. I also take advantage of the ability to start something in a cast iron on the stove and finish it in the oven, something that isn’t true for many other pans. The only things I don’t use it for are things I need a pot shape for (like soup).