For that kind of budget you're looking at a mid-range Yamaha FG series dreadnought guitar. For some strange reason when they age a bit they become very very warm and mellow, I love 'em! I'd also recommend those if your fingers require a thinner neck, their necks feel almost like an electric guitar, hence they score points for playability. Shifting chords and even a little lead work is no problem at all...
They're not as loud as other guitars IMO, but hey if it's just for a strum for pop it's ok....who said you can't strum louder on an acoustic to make it SING huh. May suffer in the country type of songs, 'cause they're not as good for finger picking due to the lack of volume....