That may be true for some but certainly not all. My H and I are getting divorced, are agreeable on just about everything, and are not fighting. Our divorce is still costing a lot. It takes legal and financial experts to disentangle the assets of a couple who've been together a long time and have a number of assets of different types. For example, we have stock options and they are very complicated to value and divide. It takes time, and the lawyers bill for their time. So yes, being agreeable does get you a long way, but it is not the whole story. Our divorce will probably cost at least $20K before we are all done, including fees to both lawyers, financial expert, and CPA. It probably would have cost twice that much if we were fighting. There are also issues with the kids--not disagreements or fights--and we had to spend a couple of sessions with a child specialist working things out so that the parenting plan is good. It's not simple getting divorced after so long! If I prorate the cost over the years we were together (21 marriage plus 3 before that), it comes to less than $1000 a year. I guess if we'd been thinking ahead, we would have started a fund for this the day we got married.

My advice: don't underestimate the value of a good family law attorney. And if possible, don't litigate. That is really what ends up costing so much, not just in cash but in your future relationship with your ex-spouse (yes, if you have children to raise, you will be co-parents and need to be able to get along). Litigation will make enemies of you. Alternatives to litigated divorces include mediation and collaborative divorce.