The problem is that there are now few remaining "real" mass production mountain bikes that don't have an air spring, hydraulic damping suspension fork, dropper seat post, and hydraulic disc brakes, and that all drives the price up. The ones that are cheaper (like Trek Marlin series) are mostly compromised in some way, like having no dropper, or a coil spring fork that allows no rate adjustment and the other leg has no damping at all, or built in a way that prevents fixing the compromises with later upgrades. There are a few like the Surly or Jones that just represent a different viewpoint on what a MTB should be and those are the kind I'm recommending. I don't really like the "tough hybrid" bikes like the Trek DS, they seem indecisive about what they are for, like a soccer mom's AWD SUV that looks like a truck but isn't.
There's also some price hikes going on this year. That's just business, good luck...
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17