I would love to see Everest some time, but I have zero interest in putting myself through hell just to be able to say I’ve climbed it.
90 percent of those magnificent Everest photos you see are taken from Kala Patar, 18,500 feet and just a big hill, not really a mountain. It's the standard trek of the Khumbu.
Logistically it's incredibly simple and very cheap. Last time I did the first three days in Teva sandals, and the rest in lightweight dayhiking boots.
Accomodations are basic but readily available, $2 to $5 per night, food is plentiful and cheap but kind of monotonous, and the route is strightforward. If you start with $500 in your pocket, you'll get back to KTM with at least $200, and wonder how you did it that cheap.
The big thing as I said is getting used to altitude, which if you follow the rule of 500 meters per day or less is pretty manageable. You *are* acclimatizing every day, your legs are getting used to 5 to 7 miles per day of walking, so it's a minor struggle but not undoable. You get used to it.
And when you get back to KTM, you feel like Superman. After the trek, I had no problem *running* up the 5 or 6 stories of stairway in my hotel, and I wouldn't even be winded. True.