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Basic kit will cost you anywhere from 500 to 8k.
I snow kite and my first land kite I bought used for about 800 dollars, the harness was about $200 dollars, I use a park skis which cost another 500. Water kite harnesses are cheaper, but water kites can become much more expensive. Water kites have an inflatable bladder so they don't drown you. Land kites look more like a parachute and inflate/deflate with the wind.
The kites used for kite surfing/skiing are 4-6 lined kites with the central lines attaching to a harness. They're a little less intuitive to fly because the pitch is controlled by pulling and pushing the bar away from you. You must have the harness to fly them, which means you also have to have the board. It's a lot to learn all at once if you're starting everything from baseline.
The better way is to buy a stunt kite like pic rel. They only have 2-4 lines and are controlled with a single central bar.
Prism makes these in varying sizes. It will set you back $100-600 depending on the size, but you can fly these in any field. They're large enough to fight against, but you won't need a waist harness or skis/a board to fly them.
Buy one, practice with it, if you really like it, buy a field buggy and get into kite buggying. They're perfect for Wisconsin. Heck, I'm in central Ohio now and often bring my kites up to Wisconsin
After you master the kite, then to some of the kiting spots on the great lakes and rent gear. Only then, commit to buying a full set for yourself.
