What you also can do is starting with just a single node, incredibly easy to install with e.g. https://k3s.io/. You still have to invest the upfront effort to understand how it works but you can already reap a lot of benefits with a lot less complexity.
Kubernetes does not force you into the distributed systems hell, you can go that route later, or never.
Kubernetes does not force you into the distributed systems hell, you can go that route later, or never.