Why the first-year price is not the real price
Many registrars sell the first year of a domain at a discount and make it back on renewals. A name that costs $1 today can cost $40 every year after. That is why the table ranks registrars by the 3-year total: the first year plus two renewals.
What about transfers?
Moving a domain to another registrar usually costs about one year of renewal, and that year is added to the domain. If your current registrar charges a lot to renew, transferring to the cheapest one in the table often pays for itself in the first year.
Check that the name is free first
Prices are for names that are free to register. Short or common names on newer extensions are often sold at a premium price. Use the free domain search to see whether a name is available and what it really costs.