Mini painting has a reputation for being expensive that comes almost entirely from people buying widely at the start. The equipment that lets you finish a model to a good tabletop standard is a short list, and it is short enough that the whole of it costs less than the wide paint collection most beginners assemble before finding out which colours they use.
What the best paint for miniatures means at the start
At the beginning the best paint is whichever mainstream hobby range your local shop stocks deeply, because being able to replace a colour matters more than any difference in pigment between the major ranges. All of them will produce a good model in the hands of someone who thins their paint. The question that actually matters is not which range but which colours, and the answer is a small core: two neutrals, two or three base colours, a flesh tone, a metallic and a wash.
What a mini painting set gives you
A set solves the colour-selection problem for someone who does not yet know what they need, and the colours in a good one are chosen to work with each other rather than to look varied on a shelf. What sets routinely do not include is primer and varnish, which are the two things a beginner is least likely to know they need and most likely to regret skipping. The brush in a set is usually adequate and usually the first thing replaced, which is not a criticism so much as a prediction.
Spending in the right order
Paint and prime first, because that is what lets you start. Add brush soap immediately, since it protects the brushes you have just bought. Add varnish before the first finished model goes into a bag. After that, buy against frustration rather than against a list: a wet palette when paint dries faster than you can use it, a handle when your fingers keep marking the model, a rack when you cannot find a colour, an airbrush when priming and base coating becomes the thing stopping you painting. Every purchase then solves a problem you have actually met.
Questions people ask about mini painting
What paint should a beginner buy for miniatures?
A starter set from a mainstream hobby range your local shop stocks deeply, so colours are replaceable. Which range matters far less than thinning the paint properly.
What does a mini painting set include?
Usually a coordinated set of colours and a brush. Primer and varnish are commonly missing and are the two things beginners most regret skipping.
What should I buy after a starter set?
Brush soap straight away, then varnish before the first model gets handled. After that buy in response to whatever is actually slowing you down.