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We lived in our last house for over 35-years and only once did we have to replace the well pump and that was due to a lightning strike. That well had been there for years before we moved in and was only 75-feet deep and had an endless supply of water.
Our new house we had to drill a well. In our county you can't even get a building permit before having your well in and tested. Ours came in at around 300-feet with a huge gusher when it hit the aquifer on the first attempt. Make sure your installer uses plastic spacers on the wiring so it won't rub itself raw from overuse, especially when your pressure tank fails (which it will). And make sure your pressure tank is properly sized for your useage so your pump won't have to run excessively. Often times these tanks go by the brand-name WellSaver, which is very appropriate to their function. We've always used a whole-house filter for sediment, and change it whenever the refrigerator wants me to change its filter, just as a reminder.
We had a full water test done prior to construction and my wife wanted another done about a year ago. Clean bill of health. If you're in an area with a large presence of legacy underground oil tanks, there are specific tests for petroleum contamination you should have done.
The positives are we know the water is safe and tastes the way it should. We, of course, pay no water bill and the only cost in five-years on the new well was a replacement pressure tank which was done under warranty (I think they undersized it from the start and we took that opportunity to get a bigger one.) We've lived with well-water for over 50-years in our area. The only major cost at inception could be drilling dry holes. No one can guaranty success but it they know your area they can estimate the success rate. I can remember someone building a home maybe 15-miles from us drilling three unsuccessful wells and calling in a dowser to choose the next spot. It was pretty amazing to watch and proved successful, too! I wasn't a believer until the dowser (also often called a Water Witch) let me hold the dowsing rod and scan the same area. Very strange!
We now have a whole-house generator but in the past have simply stored water for drinking and flushing or, if the forecast was really bad, filled a tub with water. Since installing the generator we've had no outage. Go figure. It really depends on your area utility and weather.
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