For all instruments it's best to settle on the brand and model you are thinking of buying and then do a search on the internet to find a good price. This particularly applies to keyboards. At school we use Yamaha keyboards and they have proven to be reliable and sturdy. A 'touch sensitive' (PSR series) would be best ($250-$375). There are weighted keys keyboards (feels like playing a piano) from about $1000 and a real pianos of course!