This is a pretty broad question, but the simple answer is it first depends on how much you want to put in, and second what you want to do.
My advice would be to first decide what you want to do. From there, find a match in your area and contact the match director saying you want to try it out. You will make the match director's day!
The match director will do one of three things. First, they may invite you to come watch with limited or no participation. See what it's all about, and go from there.
Second, they may invite you to come and will tell you the barebones equipment you need. When you get there, the director will pair you with someone they trust who will give you the rundown and help you out and you'll shoot as much of the match as you feel comfortable.
Third, some clubs have the basic equipment needed for the match, and will outfit you for the day with a small extra fee for ammo. At the club I used to be a member, that included a gun in many disciplines. If the club doesn't have the equipment do do this, some shooters have extra equipment around that they may let you use (it helps if you know someone at the match for this one).
The shooting community is a very friendly place. I am a smallbore shooter at heart who is dabbling in Hightower. Just this past May, I attended the CMP Eastern Games here in NC for the Garand match. I borrowed a friend's Garand, but didn't have time to get zeros for it before the match. While chatting with the guy I was sharing a point with (who drove from TX), he let me use his Garand in which he had invested tons of money. He got a bit quiet after I beat him by 10 points in standing, but he got over it and kicked my ass the rest of the match.