For pricing have a look at companies on the internet, see what they charge. No I am not talking about the well known design house just the small print companies who design logos, brochures & biz cards they will give you a good idea on how much you can charge.

As for software how can you beat Xtreme for value? AI is 10 times the price, and you are just starting out. Just think how many jobs you will need to do to pay for the software, I would suggest that you invest also in Serif's PagePlus to do your DTP.