I think it's always been on a par with adobe pricing

as to whether one program is better than another - it all depends what you are trying to do

for example, on a very simple level - CD has a bitmap tracer, AD does not [that said, I have not used CD for a year or two but last time I did, I prefered Illustrator's Livetrace/paint feature]

workflow is important too

I am surrounded by some very expensive pieces of kit, from two cintiq tablets to valve amplification and midi consoles - cost is a red herring, what counts is value for money; can't always get that right of course, but until you have a specific set of tasks to perform then whether one app is better than another is theoretical

look at it the other way round - who are these programs targeted for?

Corel Draw is targeted at Corportate Business for whom, in good times at least, £599 + VAT, might not cover the cost of a business lunch [ditto Adobe]

Affinity is not targeted at these people - it is targeted at those who have been priced out of the Adobe Market by Adobe's descision not to sell perpetual license any more - at least Corel still does this