Ukulele Price Guide – How Much Do Ukuleles Cost in 2022

So you just decided to learn ukulele but don’t know how much it cost and what are the different price ranges available in Ukuleles, well you don’t need to worry anymore, in this article, I am going to share a complete ukulele price guide with y’all.

Different ukuleles have different price tags, in this ukulele price guide, I have tried to list down all the price ranges of ukuleles that are available currently. So, let’s start without wasting any further time.

Ukulele Price Guide

Whenever a beginner decides to buy a ukulele, questions like how much does ukulele costs and how much should I spend on the ukulele as a beginner, always comes to mind.

I was on the same boat 5-6 years back when I made up my mind to purchase a ukulele but I literally got very confused because there were different varieties of ukes available on the online market. But now after purchasing more than 10 ukuleles, I know how much uke costs.

It is very important to understand that ukulele price varies a lot, you will find ukulele as cheap as $25 and as expensive as $2000.

So, it is very important to understand that you get what you pay for. Let me summarize the price range for you real quick.

Ukulele Price Ranges: How much does Ukulele cost?

Ukulele cost

Generally, there are 4 types of ukuleles available in the market:

  • Toys Ukulele
  • Cheap Ukuleles that aren’t toys
  • Budget ukuleles
  • Mid-level Ukuleles
  • Advanced or High-end ukuleles.

Now above 4 are typical price ranges that are available, there are some serious differences in terms of sound production and build quality between all these ranges of ukuleles, as you go from cheap to high-end ukuleles you will notice the real-world difference. I have explained all 4 ukulele price ranges later in the article.

But before you begin, you need to understand your needs and your budget, you also need to study the different sizes/types of ukuleles. Let me quickly tell you, there are generally 4 types of ukes, Soprano, Concert, Tenor, and Baritone.

Now the smallest one is a soprano and it is obviously cheaper than all other types, so you also need to make up your mind about which you want to buy if you are confused then check out the ukulele buying guide. Once you have that figured out you can read about the ukulele price ranges.

Now let’s start with the guide.

Toys Ukulele: Under $30

So if you are in search of a ukulele and you have the lowest possible budget then toy ukuleles are the only option available for you. But keep in mind that these kinda ukes are totally for kids and most of them are not even functional.

Toys ukes are made up of very cheap material, and very bad quality plastic, when you hold it in your hands you will feel like holding a toy.

If your sole purpose in buying a ukulele is to practice this instrument then I would suggest you not to go with toy ukuleles. As I just said most of the toy ukes are not functional straight out of the box, however, some are functional but the sound quality will be so pathetic that you will get discouraged.

However, toy ukuleles can be really good for gifting purposes, if you want to give a Christmas gift to your kids then there is nothing better than toy ukes, I am damn sure kids will love it. But if you are thinking to purchase a toy ukulele to learn to play uke then think again and go with cheap ukuleles rather than buying a toy ukulele.

Ukulele cost YOLOPLUS 17 Inch Toy Ukulele Check Price on Amazon
Ukulele cost

Hape Kid’s Wooden Toy Ukulele

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Ukulele cost

Fun Little Toys 21Inch Ukulele 

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Cheap Ukuleles: $30-45

Cheap ukuleles are way better than toy ukuleles because they are at least functional and sound like an actual uke but since they are cheap and mostly under $50 you can not really expect a good output from them.

What you will notice in these cheap ukuleles is that they are made from lower quality materials, you won’t see good woods such as koa and mahogany in cheap ukes, however, there are some cheap ukuleles that do have mahogany wood but I am talking about the majority of cheap ukes.

Cheap ukes sound okayish, not as good as more expensive ukuleles, and may not last as long. You will get below–average kind of craftsmanship, which means they could fall apart more easily.

Also, cheap ukuleles simply don’t have many features, they are below-average, and you won’t see the same features and level of playability.

I would still recommend increasing your budget to at least $50-60 if you are really passionate about learning ukuleles. But if there is no way around for you to increase the budget and you have $35-40 in your pocket then you can go with the below recommended best cheap ukuleles as they are not so bad but don’t expect any exceptional performance out of them.

Ukulele cost

Kmise Soprano Ukulele

Check Price on Amazon

Diamond Head DU-150 Soprano Ukulele (Mahogany)

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Mahalo Ukuleles MR1PP Rainbow Series Soprano Ukulele

Check Price on Amazon

Budget Ukuleles: Mostly Around $50-100

Now, this is the price range that I would recommend going with since in this price range you can get some good quality ukuleles that have the decent build quality and sound pretty good as well. If you are looking for some best beginner ukuleles then this category has got you.

There are some big brand names that fall into this category, and one such brand is Kala, and there are a few more entry-level brands that you can get. One thing that I love about this price range is you can get a good and decent ukulele without breaking the bank.

In this Ukulele price range, most ukuleles cost around $50 to $60 but keep in mind you have to be very careful in selecting uke in this category because lots of trash ukuleles are also available in this price range.

One of my favorite ukuleles in this range is the Kala KA 15s, you can check the Kala KA 15S review if you want to know about this particular ukulele.

Things to keep in mind:

  • This price range is a little dangerous because lots of brands have placed their uke in this segment and the majority of them are trash.
  • Only consider this category if you are a beginner with a tight budget since you get the basic uke in this category with very average quality.
  • If you are very dedicated to learning ukuleles then and can extend your budget, then I would suggest you skip this price range.
  • You can go with this price range if you aren’t sure whether you will stick to learning the ukulele or if you want to know if the uke thing is really for you.
  • If you have plans to upgrade in the future.

So to make things easier for you I have recommended some amazing ukuleles that fall in this price range.

Kala KA-15S Mahogany Soprano Ukulele Check Price on Amazon

Hricane Concert Ukulele 23 Inch

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Luna Tattoo Concert Mahogany Ukulele

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AKLOT Concert Ukelele Solid Mahogany

Check Price on Amazon

Mid-Level Ukuleles: $150-400

This is the category for serious players who really want to get the ukulele that will last them for years. In this price range, there are so many good quality ukuleles available that are way better than the above-discussed price range.

You will even find some solid wood ukuleles in this category, and there are also some electric ukes that you can buy in this price range.

Ukuleles in this price range have very good construction and materials, they are made from solid wood rather than laminate. You will find almost all ukuleles in this category either made up of Koa or Mahogany wood.

The sound production is pretty good I would say but not better than some high-end ukuleles that we will discuss later on. But for a beginner or intermediate player, it is completely good. However, the sound is quite subjective but you will get rich and warm sounds in this mid-level ukulele segment.

You will notice that the design and finish in the ukuleles of this segment are very appealing. It not only makes your ukulele look good but also adds to the overall protection of your uke.

One more very important thing, cheap ukuleles and even budget ukuleles get out of tune quite often but that’s not the case with this price range, most ukuleles in this range are well-intonated and they don’t get out of tune that often.

If you are a beginner or someone who has used budget ukuleles before then you can upgrade to mid-level ukuleles to take your ukulele game to the next level.

At this price, you can also get some unique ukuleles such as Guitalele, Banjoukulele, etc. Here are our recommended ukes.

Kala KA-CE Satin Mahogany Concert Acoustic-Electric Ukulele Bundle 

Check Price on Amazon
Enya Concert Ukulele AcousticPlus Nova U/BK EQ 23” Cutaway Carbon Fiber Beginner Travel Ukulele Kit Check Price on Amazon
Oscar Schmidt OU5 Koa Concert Ukulele Check Price on Amazon

Cordoba, 4-String Ukulele, Right, Tenor Cutaway Electric

Check Price on Amazon

 

High-End Ukulele: $500-2000

Now this category of the ukulele is made for the advanced player, mostly, players who have years of experience and they want to get the best possible ukulele for them then the high-end ukulele segment is for you.

Mostly the minimum price range of high-end ukes starts from $500-600 and goes all up to $2500. Here you will see ukuleles from top-notch ukulele brands such as Kamaka, Ko’olau, KoAloha, and Kanile’a.

These are 4 Ks of Ukulele and they all are based in Hawaii. You will get the best possible quality ukulele and the sound production from these ukes are extraordinary. But the price can easily go up to $2000.

If you have a budget of $500 and you want to get yourself a high-end ukulele then I would suggest you go with basic Martin ukuleles, their concert and tenor ukulele price starts from $500. Martin is also considered a top-notch ukulele brand and their price range also goes up to $2000. But unlike other high-end uke brands, you can get started with their C1K and T1K series which will cost you only $500.

However, it’s important to remember that you get what you pay for. If you’re willing to invest in a high-quality ukulele, you’ll be rewarded with an instrument that sounds great

What are the Factors affecting Ukulele cost?

Now there are a lot of factors that affect the ukulele cost. Below are some main factors that affect ukulele cost.

Brands

There are different ukulele brands, some are as cheap as $30 and some are as expensive as $2000. Generally, brands that are more popular always command a higher price tag.

So good brands will always charge you a lot because they have a reputation and of course, the quality that you will get on the expensive ukulele is no way near to the quality of a cheap ukulele.

Material Used

Prices of ukuleles from the same brand can also vary a lot because of the material used. You must have seen a ukulele from the same brand but with a different model number that cost completely different and that is because of the material that has been used. The more money you invest the better quality of the ukulele you will get.

Size of Ukuleles

The size of the ukes also matters a lot when it comes to pricing. This ukulele price guide is incomplete without discussing the size of ukuleles. There are mainly 4 types of ukuleles, which I guess everybody already knows.

So the soprano being the smallest ukulele, it cost cheaper than the Concert and other sizes of ukuleles. While Baritone ukuleles are the largest and most expensive. This is mainly because larger ukuleles require more material and labor to construct. You will also notice that a larger ukulele has more fuller sound.

Wrapping Up

So, that’s it for this ukulele price guide article, I hope you have now got a rough idea about ukulele costs. As I stated in this article, there are different ukuleles of different price ranges, and you have to decide for yourself what you want from a ukulele and what your budget is.

Once you have that information noted, you can go through the different ukuleles that we have recommended above. If you want to know more about ukuleles then contact us or simply comment down below. We are open to feedback.

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