Re "So how is it more economical?"
Let's say you put a 20A 80% breaker on each available leg.
Case 1) 120/240 single phase, 3-wire (L1, L2, N):
120v x 80% x 20a x 2 hots = 3840va
3840va / 3 wires = max 1280va delivered per installed wire
Case 2) 208Y/120 three-phase, 4-wire (L1, L2, L3, N)...