How Much Does a Digital Piano Cost?

February 6th, 2023 | 4 min read

A child playing a digital piano in the classroom.

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a baby grand lying around, a digital piano is the easiest gateway to playing the piano.

Digital pianos bring the familiar sound and feel of the instrument to the home or classroom.

They require less maintenance than traditional pianos.

They take up less room and are more portable.

And they tend to be a lot cheaper.

Whether you’re looking to buy a digital piano for yourself, a child, or even an entire class worth of students, this type of piano is perfect for those who want the grand piano sound, without the grand piano price.

Now, even though digital pianos tend to be cheaper, the prices and types of digital pianos on the market do vary. So now the question becomes, how much should you be spending on a digital piano? What should you be looking for? How can you get the most for your money?

At Warwick Music, our instruments are designed to provide value for money. Why? To make learning music accessible to everyone, from total beginners to returning players. While many of our team members are also professional musicians, they understand that our customers have different needs and very different budgets.

And that’s exactly what we’ll do in this article. Our goal is to help you understand the price of digital pianos on the market so that you can find the one that best meets your needs.

Let’s explore what digital piano will suit you and your budget!

What is a digital piano?

A digital piano is the electronic equivalent of a traditional piano. Sometimes, that can be a full-size acoustic piano with digital features. These pianos can retail for tens of thousands of pounds! For the purposes of our guide, we will be examining the more portable, electronic keyboards that will be suitable for a wider audience!

A classic example of a digital piano.

Who is the digital piano for?

This is an important question to ask before you head online or to your local music store. If you are a professional pianist, then cost is probably at the bottom of your priorities. Instead, you will be looking for the latest features and highest specifications. For beginners and for educators buying for their pupils, cost and durability will be much more of a factor.

How much does a professional digital piano cost?

A modern digital piano designed for professional use in live performance and studio settings can easily surpass £2000.

Popular professional models include the Nord Piano 5 88 Stage Piano, available for £2658 from Gear4Music. The Roland RD 2000 can be found on the same site for £2197, and the Yamaha CP88 is also available for £2146.

These models contain a raft of features that most budding pianists will not be looking out for, such as premium-grade effects, extensive sound libraries and connectivity for live performance and studio recording. They also feature hammer-action keys. This gives a very realistic feeling of playing a traditional, acoustic piano. For some players, this is a must, but it adds to the cost.

A child playing a digital piano at home.

How much does a beginner digital piano cost?

An 88-key digital piano aimed at beginners will typically cost around £200 but can reach £400.

Examples of beginner models include the Alesis Recital 88 Key Digital Piano, which costs £195.68 on Amazon. The Yamaha P45-B is a popular beginner model available for £381.50 from the same site.

How can you make your digital piano budget go further?

There are ways to make your budget go further. One unique solution is the Carry-on 88 Key by Blackstar, a Warwick Music education partner, which costs £89.04. This folding keyboard packs the sound of an 88-key piano into a portable design. The Carry-on even has a rechargeable battery, making it a great fit for music on the go.

Carry-On-FP88-LS-Education-16

A great way to get more for your money is to focus on fewer keys! Beginner models with 49 and 61 keys are often cheaper than their full-size equivalents. For some young learners, this will be a great solution. For others, an 88-key model is a must as it truly captures the size and playability of an acoustic piano.

The features that come with your beginner digital piano are another important consideration. Some models may ship with extras such as sustain pedals for those long-held notes, built-in speakers, MIDI connectivity to connect your keyboard to a computer, and more. If those features are important to you, then choosing a model with the right feature set might be worth the extra outlay…although the Carry-on 88 Key has all of these as part of its specifications!

Weight can be another part of your decision process. Many digital pianos are over 12 kg and can be bulky. This might not be such a worry for piano players who are keeping their instruments in one place, such as the home or classroom. But if you want to take your piano to lessons or other areas of the home, a lightweight and portable model might be preferable. This is also important if storage and space are at a premium.

How much should I spend on a digital piano?

Different customers will have different priorities.

If you are a teacher looking to buy instruments for your class of thirty pupils, you’re unlikely to have the budget for digital pianos that could cost thousands of pounds each.

If you are a beginner or are returning to the piano after a long absence, then spending a lot of money on professional features you don’t need could be a great way to burn through your budget.

Finding out what is most important to you - connectivity, portability, size, sound libraries, and more - will help you to spend your money wisely.

A compact, folding 88-key digital piano will cost around £100.
A basic, beginner 88-key digital pianos will cost around £200.
A premium beginner model with more features will cost around £400.
A digital piano suitable for professional use on the stage or in a home studio will cost at least £2000.

Our range of pInstruments is designed to make music affordable and accessible for all sorts of players, from beginners to brass bands. We offer unique and innovative approaches to instruments, such as lightweight and durable materials for younger learners, that offer a premium sound that satisfies seasoned players' and educational needs.

This experience means that we can offer advice on products that match that ethos…such as the Carry-on from our educational partner, Blackstar.

If you want to find more about the Carry-on, why not see what the experts at Andertons thought in this video review?

To discover more about beginner instruments, check out our blog on seven great options to get you started.

If you’re still having trouble determining the best digital piano for you based on your needs and budget, feel free to get in touch and speak to our friendly team of experts who would be happy to help!

Adam McCulloch

Adam is the Content Manager at pBone Music. This should mean that he’s the ideal person to write about himself, but he finds boasting in the third person a little awkward. He honed his word wizardry with a degree in English Language and Literature at the University of Leeds. He has since written copy for clients and businesses across the land, from awards to something beginning with “z”. He also spent a number of years as a musician. He has written pop songs and even jingles for kids, performed more first dances at weddings than you could shake a pBuzz at, and once played a gig for a pie company at The Etihad Stadium in Manchester. When he’s not reminiscing about those good old days, you might find Adam enjoying the football (although as an Everton fan, that can be difficult). He also loves spending time with his partner, Jen, and his family and friends, and sincerely hopes they feel the same way.

Topics:

digital piano

carry-on