Yes, it seems extremely pricey! I could rent a small pick and place machine, solder stencil applicator, and reflow oven for a month for less than that. I'm looking at the possibility of doing just that right now...
I'm also in the Northwest (Seattle-Tacoma area) and would like to support your effort. There is a PCB manufacturer in Vancouver, WA that you more than likely already know of, but I believe you can rent out their space to do this very thing.
If you haven't yet reached out to the Dorkbot folks in Portland they could probably point you towards the most cost effective direction. I'm sure they know of more local old school 'make and bake' places that might not even have a web presence.
I'm about 2.5 hours away from PDX, so just like the other locals count me in for the assist as well.