Welcome to the forums!
There are plenty of inexpensive pipes out there, but as with so many other things, you do get what you pay for. As a beginner, you're probably not going to notice the difference that higher quality briar, for example, brings to the piping experience. On the other hand, a poorly aligned or improperly sized draft hole will have a direct impact on your smoking, and there's a perception that the lower end pipes are more prone to engineering problems of this sort.
Fortunately, there are some lines that have a decent reputation even at the lower end - Dr. Grabows are beloved by many (and reviled by a few). Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipes are some of the least expensive pipes out there, and they are probably some of the best introductory pipes available - in my own experience, they allow you to get away with some bad habits in packing and puffing that would cause a briar to perform poorly, but as you gain experience and expertise with the cobs, the smoking gets better and easier, and you can then transfer your new-found skills to a slightly more expensive briar.
You can also find some well-known and well-respected brands on sale from time to time - Savinelli and Stanwell have lines that can be discounted down to the $50 range sometimes, and there's always the estate pipe market if you know what you're looking for, or don't mind learning how to clean up a used pipe.
The thing about pipes is, an awful lot of the choices out there come down to subjective personal preference. Straight vs. Bent, for example - some folks have very definite opinions about straight pipes being easier to clean and maintain and even smoke as opposed to the hassle of getting a pipe cleaner through a full bent saddle stem, and they've got a point. On the other hand, I still love my first pipe, which was a relatively inexpensive factory pipe with a good bend to it and a thin saddle stem that sometimes requires a bit of fiddling to get a pipe cleaner through. I also had to ream out the draft hole to stop it from gurgling, and then learn how to smoke slower in order to really stop it from gurgling... But it's things like that which you'll pick up as you go along.
Check the site sponsors - red text links off to the left-hand side of the page. Most of them have good reputations, though I'll admit that I've only purchased from a couple of them so far. Check the forums if you have questions - a lot of them may already have been asked or answered, and even if you ask a Frequently Asked Question, you'll get answers (either by us linking to previous discussion threads, or by just answering the question yet again...).
Good luck, and happy piping!