Is there usually a dramatic difference between $5k and $10k cartridges ?

@jasonbourne71 No. An engine costs at least $1m. The cheaper ones are compromises for the poor.

Let’s assume an engine for a BMW automobile costs $10K to build. 

Some $10K cartridges are very very good.  Some other cartridges that can be had (used, usually) for under $1K are also very very good.  To the point where an experienced audiophile with an excellent system and good ears might prefer the latter to the former, since in the end it is a subjective judgement anyway. However, the analogy between an expensive cartridge and an expensive automobile engine is useless.

I am on the same page as @ghdprentice.

Absolutely there is a highly audible difference between even very good cartridges and ones that, performance-wise and price-wise, are a significant leap forward. This holds true for electronics, speakers and nearly every kind of audio component.

The only problem is, that unless someone has a system that operates at the same level as a 10k cartridge, they are unlikely to hear everything it does. I sometimes wonder about all the "snake oil" comments, and what type of system they are using to evaluate the "snake oil" component. All too often, they have $700 receivers which are not remotely high enough resolution for them to hear what the 10k cartridge is doing. I have almost never heard anyone with say, a 15k system, who doubts the audible differences in any type of component, whether a Shakti Stone, portable line conditioners, tonearms, cartridges, or power cables. The better the system, the more audible the changes, and the easier it is to hear those changes.

There are plateaus based on price points. You can easily get mesmerized thinking that the more you spend the better your system will sound. Yes usually cartridges in the 5k range will have a different level of quality as opposed to cartridges in the 10k range. The same goes with cartridges in the 500 to 1k range and so on. Don’t be fooled thinking that spending more will yield better results. A 5k cartridge may perform significantly better than one priced at 10k simply because it’s a much better match for your system. The kind of music you enjoy, speakers, room acoustics and how the signal is processed all play into the game. Some spend years and thousands trying to find the perfect cartridge.

In the past year I was able to source two TOTL cartridges, a Transfiguration Proteus and a ZYX Ultimate Astro. They retailed at $6k and $13k respectively. I did it precisely to answer the question posed by the OP. While I can probably give a very quick and short answer to the question,  I would like to share more of my experience. In the end the answer for me is more nuanced.

I have been moving up the ZYX line for many years starting with an Airy 3 back in the 90’s. More recently it was going from the Ultimate 1000 ( $2k ) to Ultimate Omega ( $ 5k ). My experience with listening to any new addition to my system involves an immediate comparison mode. Breaking down what I hear into bass, midrange and high frequency, or tonal responses, or details…..etc, and figuring out the differences between the new and old. With the Ultimate 1000 and the Ultimate Omega, I did not hear the ‘next level’ improvement that my dealer claimed. Yes, the entire frequency range improved, soundstage a bit more solid, details were sharper…etc. But not something that exceeded my expectation. And from there started in my mind the exact same question posed by the OP… $5k to $10k, big difference?

Not able to source in the $10k range, I thought of getting something close. The now discontinued Transfiguration Proteus has been compared favorably to pre-Lambda Lyra Atlas among others. Eventually I got a Proteus rebuilt by Anna Mighty Sound. With the Proteus, the entire soundstage widened, details increased, and most significantly the dynamics jumped many notches. The sense of live music playing in front of me is palpable.

When a $10k cartridge finally arrive with the ZYX Ultimate Astro, the listening experience caught me by surprise. As soon as the stylus dropped, my first thought was, ‘ I get it’. My typical analytical / comparison prone brain just shut down. It was not a matter of just the bass being prodigious which it was. But it was the bass, the upper bass, the lower mid, …..etc, the entire spectrum was now a holistic continuum. That is what correct, proper music reproduction should sound like… l get it. 
The short answer to the OP’s question is ‘yes’. There is a gulf of a difference between cartridges in the two price range. But I have sourced my two top cartridges at 50% - 30% of retail. So if the question of ‘value’ comes into the equation, then I will say ‘no’. Given what I know now, I will not spend an extra $5k to get the top notch sound quality.