Never had one but I can offer my opinion
I have never owned a chameleon, but I am very enthusiastically looking into obtaining a few to start a breeding hobby. I have always been interested in herps and Chameleons caught my eye recently. I have looked thru many many adds on many websites and researched many different species/locales of chameleons. I have found that the Veiled Chameleon, which show good color, are a hardy animal, and very available in the hobby, come at a very reasonable price to buy. Some I have found to be available at as little as 35 dollars. HOWEVER, I must say this, from what I have found, read and researched, and as others willl surely tell you, the cost of a chameleon as a pet is not determined by the price that you pay for the actual chameleon. You must have a very suitable environment for any chameleon, which does not come too cheap. You must have lighting, food, vitamins, supplements and much more, and these all cost money. So, in actuality, I believe that the price of the chameleon should not be your determining factor in choosing one, but you must consider that in order for the chameleon you obtain to live well, it will put you back a few bucks. So, good luck, and as I said before, this is not from my own personal experience, but from what I have read of others'. Hope this helps a bit.