Learning Flute by yourself?

So, I played flute so very briefly in the 7th grade, but since I was part of a 7/8 split class and everyone else was way more advanced (the other 7th graders had gotten summer classes to get up to the 8th graders' level), I ended up quitting after a few months.

I'm now considering learning it, but I remember flutes being pretty expensive and hard to rent in my area. Is the flute something you can get into by yourself fairly easily? I'd love to teach myself, but don't have local resources. I'd love to know if anyone else taught themselves and what resources they used! Thanks in advance! 😁