The list price for Raspberry Pi is $35, the price for the thermal printer like the PiperWallet is $50. So the total is more like $85, plus you will also need:
- A HDMI monitor
- A HDMI cable
- A USB keyboard
- A USB mouse
- A power supply (PiperWallet includes this)
- A case (PiperWallet includes this)
- Archival quality thermal paper (PiperWallet comes with 4 rolls)
If you're going to DIY, one thing to avoid is eBay power supplies; fake 5V 2A USB chargers are rampant on eBay, and they will not work with the raspi. Sparkfun has quality power supplies that will work (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12890).