I do not believe cost should be the foremost consideration for PPE (even when PPE is not required by OSHA--if it is, you don't get a real choice as to what you use; respirators are then mandatory). We are talking about something intended to protect people from a deadly disease that can not only harm individuals, it can shut down your factory. This happened in LA.
I am sure I could have gotten a couple of cheap cloth masks for $20 or less but I paid about $200 for a half-mask respirator and half a dozen sets of replacement filters (P100) plus nominally disposable earloop masks to cover the respirator's exhaust valve. My health care plan's member responsibility (deductible) is $3500 and I am not even sure the plan would cover everything beyond that. Plus the disease can kill me or mess me up for life. Easy choice.
One reference contended that even a cheap face mask is worth over $3000 in terms of its ability to prevent health care expenditures. The average hospital cost is about $30K if the case requires hospitalization.