For electric guitars:
Fender's Standard Stratocaster or Telecaster, which are manufactured in Mexico, are available in the us for about $350. American made Strats and Teles run $800 and up.
For acoustic guitars:
Most Fender acoustics (I think) are manufactured in Korea and can be purchased in the US for under $500.
I vote for the Mexican strats. But like any other guitar, you probably have to play several to get the best in the bunch... or just take the first one you play, take it home and do a complete set up (or let a good tech do it for you).
The Mex strat PUPs are just OK at best. So you might have to change them over time.