Absolutely, people do exaggerate the expense of operating a diesel. But they’re hard on transmissions because they’re so torquey, and they cost lots more to buy. My overall cost of ownership on my diesel dually is a lot more than my gas dually, but I gotta say I love the diesel when the camper and/or trailer are on! I don’t “need” it and for me it hasn’t “mathed out”, but I really like driving it.
One other gas/diesel consideration is if you’re gonna drive in the sand. Gas trucks do better in sand because they aren’t so nose-heavy. Different regions have different sand so it may not apply in the south, but in the Oregon sand dunes gas trucks rule for that reason.