
It's a fact of life that the best espresso machines just are expensive. Even so, you don't have to spend major dough to get major performance. You can get one of the best cheap espresso machines for under $300, although the #1 best affordable espresso machine (Breville Bambino Plus, of course) is $499.
Low cost espresso machines obviously won't perform like the premium prosumer models I see all over TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, but espresso machines on a budget can still make excellent coffee. You just need to know what to look for.