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Get an acoustic from a reputable guitar store. Several reasons why you should do this and they will make the learning experience easier. One is proper set up including correct strings and alignment from strings to frets. The guitar should fit the left hand as it is the one which will form chords and the Necks differ greatly in width and diameter.

Here is what I would do. Get one with Light gauge steel strings. The thicker the diameter the harder you have to press. Steel strings will hurt until some calluses form on the finger tips. But there is a way to get around that somewhat. Buy a Capo for the guitar. A Capo is basically a clasp that can be placed around the strings. Put it on the second fret and using an electronic tuner tune it to guitar standard E on 1st and 6th strings. Once tuned take it off. The chord structure will still be the same but at a lower tone. It's also easier on the instrument. I don't tune mine to E standard and I've played for years. I tune the way I described. This will make the strings easier to play.

As for cost? Here's a true story. When I was about 12 my dad bought me a Harmony 6 string acoustic at a big box store back in the 1960's. He could play it but I never could learn. I tried to learn for years. My first wife's uncles professional players could not play it either. Finally about 30 years ago I borrowed my cousins guitar he had lost interest in. I took it to a shop because IIRC he had set it up for a left hand player. I also took my old one to have it checked. The guy told me the old one my dad bought me was so bad out of alignment it could not be economically repaired nor played unless heavy gauge strings were used. He set up the other one and within a few weeks I was catching on fast. But the neck was too narrow and my fingers slipped off the bottom E.

I went to a guitar store and bought a new Gibson Epiphone acoustic for about $150 and that helped greatly. It's still my primary player. I also later bought a 12 string Takamine F-400 {lawsuit Martin as it is nicknamed}. I bought it used for $200 perfect condition except previous owner strung it wrong and it was a trade in. The store restrung it and it sounds great.

I would not focus so much on price range, names, etc as I would the things I posted about. As ability improves upgrading is always an option. A $500 plus guitar is worthless to the user playing wise as a $100 one if the owners hands don't match up to it. A good store knows this and can help out.

I buy my guitars where many professionals buy theirs especially country players. The building looks like a shack from the road but also has fine top end Martins inside. It's right outside Knoxville, Tennessee and is well known by many. It's called Ciderville Music Store.