Ever played with nail puzzles when you were young?
Front sway bars are often weaved up above the engine/tranny subframe in a manner that makes replacement of the bushings that hold the bar to the subframe (or unibody) insanely difficult. I’ve never done a Sportage, but I have no doubt it’s designed that way too.
$500 sounds fair to me. There’s likely a lot of inappropriate language that’s needed to change to bushings.