price/token isnt the only thing relevant. if you have to ask the AI again, it'll cost you more than when it gets things right in the first place.

so better models may still be cheaper even if the price per token is higher.

yes, that is my point, but at some point, better is unmeasurable, and both the better and the not-as-good produce similar result, and then you pick the one with 1/10th of the price