Why are rugs so expensive?

I want to do a mini-makeover of my apartment soon. My brother, who has been staying with us for awhile, will move out after this semester, and I'll have more space again. So in addition to reorganizing, I was hoping to spruce the place up a bit. There's hideous carpet in the living room and my bedroom that I can't do anything about, so I was looking at area rugs. Holy expensive, batman. Even at Ikea and Wayfair the nicer, large area rugs are hundreds of dollars.

I love this one, but its almost $400 for a 5x8. Sigh. I think I'll have to deal with the hideous carpet for a bit longer. Maybe a coat of paint on the walls will help?