Whether to use body wash or a bar of soap is a matter of personal preference. Some people swear by their speciality body wash and scrubbing loufa. Some people (like my husband) are happy using whatever bar of soap I put in the shower. When crunching numbers though, the bar of soap is significantly cheaper than the body wash. You can still get nice, moisturizing soap in a bar for a lot less than the body wash.
Don't compare prices of body wash to a bar of soap. You use far more body wash per shower than you use of a bar of soap.
I have discovered a bar of olive oil soap at my speciality nutrition store. Though I paid a little less than $3.00 for that one bar, it lasts 3-4 times as long as a traditional bar of soap. The bonus to this soap is that it is all organic and only contains 3 ingredients.