How much would depend on one's budget. When I was in the market for a new bike, my budget was only $500 so I just went from there. A friend of mine who I used to ride with ran out and bought a $1000 hybrid which I don't think he even test rode. He rode it a couple times and complained about it the entire time, I haven't seen him ride it since. Choose a bike you are the most comfortable on, most parts are interchangeable so a $500 bike can easily have the components found on a $1,000 bike installed if necessary.