[scardine]

The space elevator itself would be something outrageously expensive and dangerous to build - but there will always be people willing to take the challenge.

[s1artibartfast]

And likely less expensive than the international space station.

The proposed mass of the lunar elevator is 40,000 kg, and does not include life support.

The mass of the ISS is 419,725 kg and cost ~150 billion.

For comparison, direct appropriations for the 2003-2010 war in Iraq (in addition to the defense budget) were 1.1 trillion.