Like many hobbies, you can make it really expensive, but you really don't need to. A few pots, a good-sized cast-iron skillet for less than $20, a decent knife (I like Chinese vegetable cleavers), a paring knife, a few wooden spoons, a cutting board or two. That's enough to start out, and (as with programming), starting small can give you a better idea what you actually need.

Alton Brown's _Gear for Your Kitchen_ (http://www.amazon.com/Alton-Browns-Gear-Your-Kitchen/dp/1584...) is a pretty good equipment overview.

Also, The Wok Shop (http://www.wokshop.com) has a lot of good equipment for very reasonable prices.