Yep, a master node needs infrastructure (VPS) that will cost you money, and you need to hold x amount of coins as well. It needs more upfront investment than simple staking mechanics. You can see various master node coins along with the required coins for MN here
https://masternodes.online/If you cannot afford it, better try staking.
I'm curious about sites like
https://masternodes.online/ , some MN coins offer ROI of 1 or 3 months, I haven't looked at the "hosting my own MN" scenario since quite a while (since Cryptsy stole all my coins). So my question is, are those ROI on altcoin MN real? (I can handle all techy stuff)
Tks