Is a Zojirushi rice cooker actually worth the high price?

Across the reviewers we read, the recurring view is yes for daily rice eaters. Serious Eats rated Zojirushi models as reliable and consistent across performance tests, and r/BuyItForLife and r/Cooking threads repeatedly cite years of trouble-free use plus a keep-warm function that holds rice for many hours without drying. The caveat from the same communities: if you eat rice rarely, a sub-$40 cooker like the Aroma satisfies most people.