It costs taxpayers $1.26 million dollars per year to keep an inmate on death row until they're executed which could take 30 to 40 years in some cases before the death row inmate is executed.
It only costs $740,000.00 per year to keep a prisoner in prison on non death row so it's much cheaper to just keep a prisoner in prison for life instead of placing them on death row and waiting for an execution to be carried out which will then add to the cost.
In my opinion the death penalty is an easy way out for the prisoner and a life long prison stay would be much better and be more torturous for the prisoner.