After liquidating Pompidou's equipment, and doing the Drain, Warp, and Aspir quests, I've come into some money. In fact, it's the first time I've seen a six digit figure in my wallet. I don't want to blow the money on equipment and spells, and be right back in the same farming rut that's been holding me back till now. White mages don't farm well. I have the chance to really get a craft going, and after it's all done, make some real gil. I was debating culinary or alchemy, but I decided the ability to cure my own silence as a whm would be invaluable. Also, while I've never seen it done, I thought that homemade ethers could help me get my party to the end of an exp chain without running out of mp. Anyway...

How expensive is alchemy to raise in comparison to the rest? We all know that goldsmithing is far and away the most expensive craft to level. Cooking is typically considered relatively inexpensive. Cooking is also one of the quickest guilds to reach a point where any profit can be made what-so-ever. Is alchemy towards the goldsmithing end of the spectrum, or the cooking?

Also, how far will my 125,000 gil get me? Will I at least get alchemy to the point where I can make money at a reasonable rate? It'd be great to be able to hit 60 at least. Any thoughts?