There are aspects where it is more efficient. For example, look up aquaponics (a variation of hydroponics where the water circulates in a closed loop between a hydroponic setup and an aquaculture setup). It is one of the most water-efficient ways of growing vegetables and raising fish for human consumption, very popular in arid places such as Australia, where you might not be able to otherwise gain access, economically, to the amount of water required. Another clear advantage of hydro/aquaponics over in-soil agriculture is obviously weed control, due to the fact that weeds are either non existent (floating raft systems) or way easier to deal with (bio media beds) compared to gardening in soil. Finally, I see you wrote "setup in a house" but I just wanted to say that you can (and most commercial operations do) grow in a greenhouse, you don't have to rely on artificial lights. Having said all that, yes you are right, the initial setup cost is higher compared to traditional agriculture.