No. Question 2 does not ONLY depend on your budget. If anything, money is the last concern, as spending more doesn't mean you'll have a better understanding of the product.  Question 2's real answer is try out the programs to find one you like...then worry about how much you can spend.  If you need to, save until you can afford the one you want to use. If you can't do that, then you get the program you can afford whose interface you are most comfortable with.  Understand - Maya, in the hands of someone who doesn't understand the app, will not produce anything better than Silo in the hands of someone who knows it well.  So cost is not the issue.