Lens prices -- like airline prices?

Certain lenses perform beyond what their price would indicate (70-200L F4)and others not (16-35L). Some low priced lenses have IS (28-135) while other lenses increase substantially in price with IS. Some cheap lenses have poor build quality but great optics (50mm 1.8), while more expensive lenses still have relatively poor build quality (50mm 1.4). Is there any sense in lens prices?