For the record, I agree with both of you. I do think the exam fee should be more expensive than the vaccination but then I think we'd have even more people buying the vaccinations by themselves, or asking for a technician to administer it. We have plenty of that already, so the owners really try to keep people wanting the wellness exam.
Do you sell vaccinations, or offer technician only visits to reduce costs to clients?
The physical exam, if done properly, is 100x more important than the vaccination. Vaccinations are just one set of the whole. A good PE can help find a lot more than a vaccination would.
That said, vaccinations are still incredibly important. Just the exam is going to tell you more.
To answer the OP:
Just took my 10 month old rescued Poiner mix for his first check up and second round of shots. I knew it would be expensive but was shocked at some of the charges! I live in an expensive area (Bergen County NJ outside of NYC) but don't recall such high prices at my previous veterinarian in Staten Island. $75 for a fecal with test for Giardia? $65 for the first of two Lyme disease shots? $23 to clean out his ears? $15 for 1 heartguard chewable and a "free" 1 month dose of Frontline? $65 for 2nd set of puppy shots (already had rabies)?
I think those are ridiculous, but some vets are shifting their pricing structure around. Some have the thought process of "we don't get paid enough (which is true) so let's charge more" or "let's charge low for basics like the PE and vax and then increase charges on surgery and the like" (which yours is clearly not doing). There's also the thought processes, in a large area, of "we offer way better service than the dirt-cheap place down the road and enough clients will pay for that service so we can keep high prices". This kind of sounds like what your vet is doing, especially since s/he operates in an affluent area.
It's kind of an interesting time in the profession as people work around the economy and what not. Lots of clinics failing at the moment because people don't want to pay out of pocket for 'luxury' services and insurance isn't widespread enough to offer an indirect income source.
That said, the clinic I used to work at would do the whole exam for a dog for $78 (I think it's $93 now though). That included DHLP-PV, Rabies, Bordatella, heartworm test, fecal test, physical exam, and whatever miscellaneous needed/requested (nail clips/ear cleanings). We made our money on tests ($70 for a 12 slide panel test, $55 for a CBC, etc.) but they weren't exactly pushed. Just priced high enough that they made enough money to still make a profit without having to push it on every client.
But it was hardly an 'expensive area'. Middle-class at best.
)... she had a $20 fee to... get this... DISPOSE of the fecal matter, for the fecal test 
