Differences in price/construction between low and hight power LDs

Maybe its a newbie question. I would like to understand why there's so much difference in price between a low power LDs lets say 5mw red that are dirty cheap, and a high power one, like 500mw that are the opposite...

The outer structure is identical. What´s happening inside? Does it have a good reason in the construction of the diode for such a wide price difference?. Sometimes it feels like it´s more a marketing /abusing position reason, but probably im wrong.

It's hugely dependent on the consumer electronics they are used in.

Low power red lasers are used everywhere, CD drives, barcode scanners etc etc etc, thus they are produced in the millions/billions. Compared to say the high power 445nm diodes, which are so far only used in laser video projectors, are probably only produced in the hundreds of thousands into millions, and they're still relatively new tech.

When a product is new there are several factors you have to take into account. There is the R&D costs that the company will want to recoup in a fairly short period of time, the cost of the facilities/machinery that makes them, then there is low competition and what the market will pay for the product.

On those 5mW diodes the R&D, factories and machinery has been paid off long ago. The demand may still be high but the competition is fierce making the amount the market will pay less due to available choices.