I feel you man. It has to be 88 weighted keys otherwise it's shit. 500 for the piano and $100 per lesson is what you're supposed to spend. Put me off it, I bought a Ukulele instead haha.

You can start with a midi controller keyboard for less than $200. It doesn’t have its own sound and you’ll need a laptop or ipad and software to actually play, but at least you won’t blow hundreds of dollars just to pick up a hobby. A full weighted keyboard will be a little more expensive though and can hit $300+.