Diagnose the problem before worrying about compressor costs...could be as simple as a leaking o-ring, or a punctured line. Repair, recharge, enjoy the cool air.
I never thought I'd need AC until I started commuting into the city....sitting in traffic without AC is torture, heat, limited air flow, exhaust fumes, truck noise, it's bad.
The only car I have right now (aside from the ones that never came with AC) with broken AC is the Sonoma...I had a leaky compressor 2-years ago, so I took the opportunity to rebuild most of the system; new compressor, new o-rings, new accumulator, new orifice tube. Charged it and it ran ice cool that summer. Parked it for the winter and in the spring it was warm air again....charged it with the AC dye kit, leaked out in a couple weeks, but even with the dye I can't see the leak. So it's either a leak in the evaporator which requires taking the dash out...or the condenser which requires takes the whole front end of the truck apart. Soooo I'll get to it someday. I don't use the truck for commuting, just cruising, so windows are fine for me.