Such an impossible question to answer.. depends totally on your vision, expectation, budget, etc.
Think about, a beat from Dre or Tim can be $250,000+, one guest feature from Lil' Wayne can cost about the same. One track just cost you $500,000 and you didn't even pay for studio time, CD duplication, distribution, promotion, etc.
Then again.. make your own beats, no features, digital distribution, self-promotion. You ain't paid anything yet and all you need is studio time.
I'd always recommend using a studio to record and mix, but for the price of a Macbook, an MBox2 Mini and a half decent mic and some cables you could even do it all yourself for around £1,000.
What kind of music are you making, what size of fan-base do you have, what level do you want to operate at and what kind of budget are you talking?