The good news is that getting an avatar costs far less, and far less skill, than the polished models you have seen suggest. You do not need to draw, and you do not need to spend thousands. What helps most at the start is understanding that an avatar is a short pipeline you assemble rather than a single thing you buy: you create the model, you rig it so it can move, and you run a tracking program that maps your face and voice onto it live. The tier of avatar you choose changes how much each of those steps costs in money and effort, and you can enter at the level that fits where you are.
The simplest entry point is a PNGTuber: a static image, or a small set of images, that switches between mouth-open, mouth-closed, and a blink in response to your voice. It animates through free software, needs no rigging, and can be up and running in an afternoon. It is the cheapest way to find out whether performing as a character suits you at all, and for audio-forward creators it is often enough on its own.
A step up is a 2D model, the expressive anime-style avatar most people picture when they think of VTubing. These are layered illustrations rigged to move, with the rigging done in Live2D Cubism, the standard for 2D and a program with a real learning curve. The art underneath is either drawn by you, if you can, or commissioned, and the finished rig is driven live by a tracking app such as VTube Studio. A 2D model is more work and usually more money than the other tiers, and it is also the most expressive, which is why it dominates the format.
The third path is 3D. A 3D model moves in full three-dimensional space, turning and shifting in ways a 2D rig cannot, at the cost of more processing power and a more involved setup. The friendliest way in is VRoid Studio, a free tool from Pixiv built for anime-style 3D characters, which lets you sculpt and dress a model with sliders and export it in the standard format that tracking apps like VSeeFace read. Beyond that, fully custom 3D work moves into general software like Blender and a steep climb in skill. VRoid alone, though, is more than enough to start.
Whether you build or buy comes down to which tier you chose and what you can do yourself. The free do-it-yourself route is real: a PNGTuber made in an image editor, or a 3D model built in VRoid, costs nothing but time. The 2D do-it-yourself route is only realistic if you can already illustrate and are willing to learn rigging, since both are genuine crafts. If you cannot or do not want to make the art, you commission it, and for 2D that often means two specialists, an artist for the illustration and a rigger for the movement, or one person who does both. A faster middle path is a premade or base model you customize, which gets you further than scratch for less than a full custom build.
When you commission or download a model, you are paying for, or agreeing to terms on, three separate things: the artwork, the rigging, and the rights to use them. Pay closest attention to the rights, because they carry a trap specific to adult work, so read this part twice. Many artists, base-model creators, and avatar tools restrict or outright forbid NSFW use in their terms, and a model you are not licensed to use for adult content is a brand you cannot legally build on. Before you commission anything, confirm in writing that the artist permits adult and commercial use. Before you use a free or premade model, check its terms for the same, because some popular free character makers grant no commercial rights at all and many bar explicit use. Where you can, get the source files and clear written ownership, so the asset is genuinely yours to keep, edit, and carry between platforms.
Your first model does not have to be your final one. It is tempting to commission an elaborate custom 2D rig out of the gate, but that is a large spend on a format you have not yet proven you will stick with or enjoy performing. Starting on a cheaper tier, a PNGTuber or a free VRoid model, lets you learn the whole pipeline, find out whether the work suits you, and discover what you actually want from a model before you pay for the good one. The upgrade later is easier and better informed for it.
Roughly, there are three spend levels. At the free end, VRoid or a PNGTuber plus your own time gets you a working avatar. In the middle, a premade base with some customization, or a budget commission, buys something more polished without a full custom build. At the top, custom art and professional rigging produce a one-of-a-kind 2D model. On the do-it-yourself side, effort runs opposite to cost, since the cheapest routes ask the most of your time. Prices and tools both shift, so treat current options as something to verify rather than memorize. The tiers and the pipeline are what stay stable.
Pick the tier that matches your budget, your skills, and how committed you already are, lock down the adult and commercial rights before you build on anything, and start simpler than feels impressive. Once you have a model in hand, the next step is making it move and giving it presence: the rigging, the tracking setup, and the voice and personality that turn a character design into someone an audience believes.