Do you regularly pay for any privacy-enhancing tools?

I think you are confusing two things. The existence of the right to privacy vs the specific expression or way someone exercises that right.

You do not have to pay for the right of privacy. But you may have to pay for how you express or use that right.

The ultimate privacy is to just be offline. That is free. Similarly I could exercise my right of free speech by holding a sign in my front yard. That’s free too.

But if I want an email service to use, which requires programmers and servers, for exercising my privacy right; then I need to pay for that.

Similarly if I want to exercise my free speech right by attending a protest in another city I need to pay for my transportation to get there. I’m not owed gasoline or a plane ticket. Just like no one is owed a VPN.