I wish there were alternatives in North America too. It’s very tough on out of town parents whose daughters are not academic or Lakewood material.
OTOH, some parents I know have brought the costs down through Federation etc. grants that are only available to Israeli programs. And their kids get real – minimizing phone use, cooking their own meals(BTW, some sems do do 3 squares a day), taking buses and walking whenever possible. Trip to Europe? Not part of our game plan. Neither is coming home for Pesach.
B”H we’ve dealt with three Israeli seminaries that yeah, are businesses in that they’re someone’s parnasa, but who have always telegraphed that their purpose is in educating our daughters and helping them grow. The proof of the pudding is the strong relationships my children still have with some of the staff.