How Much Does A Piano Cost? We Compare Prices Ranges For Different Brands & Models

Like any instrument, pianos begin to increase in price as you get into high-end professional models.

In this guide, we’ll take you through some excellent options for both acoustic and digital pianos at various prices.

Any of these pianos would be excellent for practice, performance or recording.

Acoustic Pianos Cost

Buying an acoustic piano is a commitment.

In addition to being pricey, they are also large and difficult to move.

But if you think that you’re ready for one, there are some benefits to having an acoustic piano.

They look beautiful and they also sound wonderful, especially if you’re playing jazz or classical music.

And, if you are playing in halls with real pianos, you’ll want to practice on a real piano too.

We’ll start by looking at some upright, console, and apartment sized pianos, as these are the pianos most consumers will be looking for.

We’ll also go over some brands and prices for baby grand and grand pianos.

Upright Pianos & Console/Apartment-Sized Pianos

Upright pianos sit nicely against a wall and take up less space than grand pianos.

Console and apartment-size pianos tend to be even smaller than upright pianos.

These pianos, however, still tend to offer good projection and sound.

As you're about to see, they can vary in price based on the make and model of the piano.

Yamaha b1 PE Upright Piano – $4,799

Yamaha makes great pianos – they are famous for being extremely reliable and ready to play right out of the box.

This is the cheapest piano in Yamaha’s b series and they are designed to outperform lesser pianos at similar prices.

These pianos are console sized, which is what makes them so affordable.

Pearl River EU118 Upright Piano – $5,595

These Chinese manufactured pianos are some of the most popular upright pianos on the new piano market.

For the money you’re spending, you’re getting great value, as this is a full sized upright.

You may have to spend a little extra in tuning and maintenance over the course of a Pearl River‘s life, but they are still beautiful pianos at a great price.

Baldwin BJ120 Studio Piano – $7,500

Baldwin pianos are built in China and are owned by Gibson.

This is their most affordable piano, which can be found for less money at local dealers.

They have a beautiful glossy black finish, and Baldwin’s signature “Stealth Action”, which is designed to minimize some of the mechanical noises that are typical in upright pianos.

They are bright, clear pianos and you can get them in 43”, 45” or 48” heights.

Perzina Vertical Pianos (GP-112, GP-122, GP-129, GP-130) – $9,000 Or Less

The Perzina vertical piano is available at 48” or 52” and is one of the largest available.

Those extra inches give these pianos a serious edge in terms of tone and projection.

Perzina has fared well at NAMM and other music conferences, becoming known for a large, rich sound with clear and shimmery top end.

These pianos are a little more expensive due to their size but also due to the fact that their components are 90% European.

They are manufactured in China to keep the overall cost down and they can apparently be had for less than the recommended $9,000.

Hardman, Peck & Co. Vertical Upright Pianos – $5,000 Or Less

These are Chinese manufactured pianos that are popular for their reasonable prices and beautiful finishes.

Hardman, Peck & Co. tends to favor glossy wood grain treatments, making them great furniture pieces in a home.

But according to reviews, their tone lacks some of the qualities that can be found in a Yamaha or a Perzina, making them a less common choice for serious/professional players.

Note that if you’re after a Hardman, you may want to consider a Hsinghai piano.

Hardman recently started manufacturing their pianos through the Beijing Hsinghai Piano Group, so their pianos are virtually identical in all but name.

Grand Pianos

As most discerning piano players know, nothing compares to the sound or stature of a grand piano.

As with upright pianos and their many variations, grand pianos are considered acoustic pianos.

To be fair, unless you're in charge of equipping your theater or music venue with a piano, you're probably not looking to buy a grand piano.

This isn't to say some consumers aren't looking for grands as well, but their size and price often make them prohibitive for the average consumer.

Regardless, here are a few grands at different price points.

Petrof P 159 Bora Grand Piano – $69,000 Or Less

The P 159 Bora is the smallest of Petrof’s grand pianos and most affordable.

Petrof makes one of the best affordable baby grand pianos on the market, though “affordable” is certainly a relative term here.

While these pianos are worth over $10,000, even used, they are much cheaper than Steinways and have become popular because of their incredible sound.

You can buy this model in Black, Walnut, Mahogany or White finishes.

Kawai GM11 Baby Grand Piano – $15,000

Much more affordable, the Kawai Baby Grand has the attention to detail you would expect from Japanese piano manufacturers, all at a reasonable price tag.

Kawai has their proprietary “Ultra Responsive” action that is known for its strength, precision and stability.

The solid spruce soundboard and maple hammer shanks make this a great piano at a reasonable price.

Yamaha GB1K Grand Piano – $14,999

Another amazing Japanese piano, the Yamaha GB1K has superb sound and resonance.

It comes out of the box perfectly tuned, ready to play.

Yamahas are a popular choice for piano studios, universities and professional musicians alike.

As Yamaha’s piano manufacturing increased, they were able to create this budget baby grand piano that comes in at $14,999 – reasonable for an incredible instrument.

Boston Grand GP-156 PE – $21,800

This is the smallest of Boston’s grands, but it’s a beautiful instrument.

Boston pianos are designed by Steinway & Sons, so you can be assured that you’re getting a high-end instrument when you buy a Boston.

They are known for their lower string tension, which creates longer sustain and a singing quality in the tone.

The lower string tension along with other engineering enhancements also make the piano last longer – much like a Steinway, these pianos will last you a lifetime.

Digital Pianos Cost

Though pianists typically prefer the sound and feel of an acoustic instrument, digital pianos can be quite handy.

They are perfect for – and, in many ways more practical for – live performance and recording.

While they may never replace acoustic pianos, they also tend to emulate acoustic instruments nicely, both in terms of sound and feel.

Here are a few digital pianos that offer great functionality.

Yamaha ARIUS YDP-184 – $2,799

Both Yamaha and Kawai are well-known for their acoustic pianos and their digital recreation of acoustic pianos.

The Yamaha ARIUS YDP-184 is one of the best digital pianos for classical pianists.

It was designed to recreate the sound of Yamaha’s famous CFIIIS grand piano, which is widely favored by classical pianists.

It has hammer-action weighted keys, three pedals and an ebony/ivory feel on the keys.

The piano also has iOS connectivity and a playback and recording mode.

Kawai CA58 Digital Piano – $2,900

Kawai known for making digital pianos that have a wonderful feeling key bed and action.

They are a little more expensive, but they are high-end, classy digital pianos.

This piano has a key-off effect and hammer delay, which are designed to emulate older classical pianos, and will make you think you’re playing an acoustic.

It only has 19 voices, but Kawai’s use of Harmonic Imaging XL technology fills up a room with rich piano sound, and you won’t notice the difference.

Casio PX-870 Privia Digital Piano – $900

Casio makes a well-known line of affordably priced beginner keyboards.

This keyboard comes in under $1,000, which is the cheapest kit on this list so far, but the keyboard does a lot of heavy lifting for that price.

It has a hall simulator and a projection engine that allow you to model the sound and the acoustic feel of an acoustic piano.

They keyboard is not as realistic as a Kawai, but it’s certainly better than your run of the mill, entry-level keyboard.

The PX series also has all the modern connectivity you would expect, including USB capabilities and MIDI/audio recording.

Roland F-140R Digital Piano – $1,200

Roland makes a variety of high-end keyboards including synthesizers, stage pianos, and now a digital upright.

This model is top-rated among digital pianos and it is small enough to fit in many homes and spaces.

Roland is known for developing innovative and high quality samples, and this keyboard is no exception.

They have multiple velocity samples recorded, which allows you to play more expressively.

One of the highlights of a Roland digital piano is their secondary sounds – in addition to the piano, the electric piano and organ sounds are excellent as well.

Nord Grand – $4,200

Nord makes legendary stage pianos, synthesizers, sampling engines and so on.

They are the red keyboards you’ll see on huge stages around the world.

The new Nord Grand is designed to be the best sounding stage piano on the market, and it now has the famous Kawai key bed.

The Nord Grand has 10 grand piano sounds, nine upright piano sounds, 10 electrics, a clavinet, and more, all from the Nord Piano Library, which sounds incredible.

The sounds are upgraded all the time, completely free of charge.

Yamaha CP40 Graded Stage Piano – $1,999

This is another option from Yamaha, but it's significantly different than the ARIUS YDP-184 listed above.

This is one of the best portable digital pianos available and is designed as a stage piano.

You can easily haul it around in a bag or a case.

It has graded hammer action, which gives it the feel of a stage piano.

The thing that separates it from a digital upright piano is the speakers.

During the development of the instrument, careful attention was given to the sound, though it's important to note that the speaker quality was sacrificed for portability.

The trade off is that it will still sound great when plugged into a PA.

A Note About Used Pianos Cost

The used piano market is vast and diverse.

You can get acoustic pianos for thousands of dollars, hundreds of dollars or even free.

Be careful though.

If you buy a piano that's riddled with problems, and you may be stuck with an instrument that's cumbersome, hard to move and barely playable.

Try to bring an experienced pianist or a piano teacher with you to test the piano you're thinking about buying.

Used digital pianos don’t depreciate much, but it’s still nice to save a few bucks if you can.

If you buy used, you'll miss out on the warranty, but you can still end up with a good piano.