You’re shopping for a first guitar and torn between an acoustic and an electric. For a lot of beginners, the deciding factor is simply what each one costs.
Here’s the catch most price tags hide. An acoustic plays straight out of the case, but an electric needs an amp and a cable before you hear a note, and that changes the real total.
This article answers the price question directly and adds up what each type runs once you’re ready to play. We’ll also touch on the other things worth weighing as a beginner.
So let’s settle which one is cheaper.
Are Electric Guitars Cheaper Than Acoustic Guitars?
No, they aren’t. In fact, it’s usually the other way around.
That doesn’t mean a base-model electric is more expensive than a high-end acoustic.
But if you compare apples to apples - an electric and a steel-string acoustic aimed at players with a similar set of skills and experience - the electric will cost you more almost every time.
In fact, even a low-end electric guitar can cost more than a mid-range acoustic. On top of that, you’ve to buy extra accessories for an electric, and those costs add up quickly.
An electric needs a patch cable and an amplifier just to be heard. An acoustic doesn’t require either.
If you’re a beginner, cost shouldn’t be the only thing on your mind when picking a good first guitar or electric guitar starter kit. There are a few other factors worth weighing too.
The Hidden Costs of an Electric Guitar
The sticker price on an electric guitar is only part of what you spend. To actually play one at a reasonable volume, you need at least a cable and an amplifier, and most players soon want pedals or effects units to shape their tone as well.
An acoustic guitar needs a handful of handy accessories too - many of the same ones an electric uses, plus a capo - but it makes sound on its own out of the box. That difference is a big reason the total cost of getting started on electric runs higher.
If you want to learn more about the standalone price of each, our guide on how much an acoustic guitar costs is a useful next read, along with whether expensive guitar strings are worth it.
Here are a few buyer guides if you decide an electric is the right pick:
Music Style
The kind of music you want to play has the biggest bearing on which guitar you should buy. If you aspire to play rock, you’ll naturally lean toward an electric guitar.
If you’re more into country and folk, an acoustic - or even a good classical guitar - is a great match.
Matching the instrument to the music you love keeps you motivated to practice, which matters far more than saving a few dollars up front.
Ease of Play
Though difficult to master, an electric guitar is easy to play. You can practice for hours as a beginner and still not find that your guitar fingers hurt.
If the fretted notes aren’t sounding right, you can always turn up the amp to compensate. An electric’s strings also sit closer together.
The neck is relatively narrow, so your hand can make most scale and chord shapes without stretching too much. An electric’s cutaways let you reach the upper frets easily, so you can explore soloing and playing higher up the neck from your very first day of practice.
Like electric guitars, an acoustic sometimes comes with cutaways for a fuller range of notes. The large acoustic guitar shape can make them a bit heavier or unwieldy.
On the flip side, that larger body lets you rest your picking hand on it while you play, which leads to less hand fatigue than an electric.
Mastering the Basics
For most first-time guitarists, an acoustic is the instrument of choice because it’s the most balanced of the two for playability and sound. Acoustics may not be as versatile or as simple to play as an electric, but they aren’t on the opposite end of the spectrum either.
Grasping the basics on an acoustic might take a few more days of practice. That’s a good thing, because you learn a lot in the process.
Those guitar lessons carry over to other guitar types, including an electric, when you make the transition.
An acoustic is ideal for working on your fundamentals - basic guitar chords, scales, riffs, and chord progressions. If a note is off, you can hear it clearly on an acoustic and correct it.
An electric tends to conceal the mistakes a beginner makes, which doesn’t always help the learner in you.
Sound
An acoustic guitar sounds more natural than an electric, thanks to its high sustain. It’s built so that when a string vibrates, the body works as a natural amplifier.
Acoustics have hollow, large bodies for a reason - the sound chamber plays a major role in the tone and volume of the instrument.
An acoustic’s tone is also heavily influenced by the wood used in its construction. Called tonewoods, these make up the top, sides, back, neck, bridge, and fingerboard.
Several other design elements built into the body shape the sound as well.
When the string of an electric vibrates, it isn’t as loud, because solid-body guitars don’t have sound chambers. Electrics use pickups to amplify their sound instead.
A pickup is essentially a wire-wrapped magnet that produces a magnetic field around the guitar strings. When a string is plucked, the vibration disrupts that field and a signal travels from the pickup to the amplifier.
That said, the materials and overall construction still matter on an electric. The string vibration is colored by the guitar’s weight and size, the woods used to build it, and the way the neck is joined to the body.
How Electric and Acoustic Guitars Compare on Price
So how do the two stack up once everything is on the table? On the guitar alone, a comparable electric almost always costs more than a steel-string acoustic built for the same skill level.
Acoustics tend to give beginners more instrument for the money.
Once you add the gear an electric requires - an amp, a cable, and eventually some pedals - the gap widens further. An acoustic is essentially ready to play the moment you buy it, with only minor accessories needed.
There’s one exception worth knowing about. A beginner electric starter pack bundles the guitar, an amp, a cable, picks, and a strap at a lower combined price than buying each piece separately.
That can narrow the difference, though a standalone acoustic still usually wins on pure upfront cost. If budget is your main concern and you’re happy starting on acoustic, it remains the cheaper path to your first guitar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an electric or acoustic guitar better for a beginner?
An acoustic is the more balanced starting point for most beginners because it’s forgiving to learn on and exposes your mistakes so you can fix them. It also costs less to get going.
That said, the best beginner guitar is the one that matches the music you want to play. If you’re set on rock and an electric keeps you practicing, the motivation is worth it.
How much extra do electric guitar accessories cost?
Beyond the guitar itself, an electric needs a cable and an amplifier just to be heard at a useful volume, and most players add pedals or effects over time. Those purchases add up on top of the instrument’s price.
An acoustic needs only a few inexpensive extras like picks, a strap, and a capo, and it produces sound on its own with no powered gear at all.
Can a cheap electric guitar cost more than a good acoustic?
Yes. Even a low-end electric can cost more than a solid mid-range acoustic, especially once you include the amp and cable you need to play it.
This is exactly why comparing only the headline guitar price can be misleading. Always factor in the full setup when you budget.
Should I buy a starter pack to save money?
If you want an electric on a tight budget, a starter pack is a smart move. These guitar kits usually include the guitar, a cable, an amp, picks, and a strap at an affordable bundled price, so you’ve everything you need to get rolling right away.
If a starter pack isn’t for you, there are plenty of inexpensive standalone electric guitars to choose from instead.
Final Thoughts
If you want an electric on a fairly tight budget, look at a starter pack first. These kits include nearly everything you need to start playing almost instantly, and the bundle price beats buying each piece on its own.
If a pack doesn’t appeal to you, you can still find plenty of inexpensive standalone electric guitars.
If you’d rather take the acoustic route - which is a great call as a beginner guitar player so you can master the fundamentals - then cost shouldn’t be a worry at all. Beyond the lower initial price, an acoustic also spares you from spending on the amp, cable, and pedals that an electric guitar simply has to have.
In short, electric guitars aren’t cheaper than acoustic guitars. But the right choice comes down to the music you want to play, how you like to learn, and the total budget you’ve for both the guitar and the gear around it.
