I got them through an in network hospital audiology department, so paid by health insurance. For out of pocket Costco looks good to me. They have special models that are a little less fancy than the top of the line stuff, from name brand manufacturers.
I also checked out earlens.com, a pretty cool concept that’s supposed to be superior in audio quality. But they are pricey, and need to be fitted by a doctor/audiologist with a transducer that sits directly on the eardrums (and stays in your ear canal) and is driven by induction. Ultimately turned off by cost ($12k/pair).
I think the technology in hearing aids has profited from the advances in chip manufacturing [1]. So the latest models may also be on 5nm and thus have more transistors for fancy AI and longer battery life. You may have a better experience nowadays.
I may be ready to drop $$ for my next pair..... do you work with an audiologist or did you do everything at Costco?