@00becker and @nissa762 : some of your info is now out of date.
The prison bus now only costs $300,000 (which is also shown in the table in that link).
Here is my thread for new players, which has up to date info (I started a new town recently and thought I would make a guide as I play, it is all the fault of @johncolombo starting a 'crawl to the finish' instead of a 'race to the finish'! )
https://forums.ea.com/en/the-simpsons-tapped-out/discussion/90074/cttf-new-build-prices-and-tips#latest
The first 3 posts all contain tips that I have gathered.