A new saxophone costs from about $370 to more than $20,000, and the type matters as much as the brand. We went through all 306 saxophones Thomann had in stock in October 2026: half of them cost less than $3,936, a student alto starts under $400, and half of all tenors cost more than $4,264.
The short answer for most buyers: a beginner needs $400 to $1,500, a serious student $1,500 to $3,500, and a professional horn starts at around $3,500. The rest of this guide shows where those lines come from and which models sit on each side of them.
How much does a saxophone cost for beginners?
Almost every beginner starts on an alto. It's the smallest of the common saxophones that's still easy to play, and it has the widest choice: 36 of the 105 altos in the catalog cost less than $1,500, and 22 cost less than $1,000.
Thomann TAS-180 Matt Alto Sax, $446
Thomann's own student alto with a brass body and keys, a high F# key and adjustable palm keys. At this price it's one of the cheapest altos we track, and it still ranks high: #2 of 68 alto saxophones. A sensible choice for an adult who wants to find out if the saxophone is for them.
Yamaha YAS-280 Alto Sax, $1,087
The alto most school band teachers ask for: a narrow-scale student horn with a full-length key guard, adjustable thumb rest and Yamaha's reputation for keeping its value. It costs more than twice as much as the Thomann, and the difference shows up years later, when you sell it. #3 of 68 alto saxophones.
Saxophone prices by type
Bigger saxophones cost more, because they use more brass and more keywork. The soprano is the exception: it's smaller than the alto but harder to build in tune, and most sopranos on sale are professional models.
| Type | Models | Cheapest | Median | Most expensive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alto | 105 | $335 | $3,149 | $11,251 |
| Tenor | 79 | $505 | $4,264 | $21,932 |
| Soprano | 57 | $393 | $5,512 | $13,671 |
| Baritone | 28 | $1,461 | $7,533 | $15,022 |
Prices are Thomann's as of October 18, 2026. Only 9 of the 57 sopranos and one of the 28 baritones cost less than $1,500, so a cheap soprano or baritone is the exception, not the rule.
What the extra money buys
Between a $450 alto and a $6,000 one, the difference is less about the sound on day one and more about the build: how even the notes are across the range, how well the pads seal, how long the keywork stays tight and how much work a repair shop has to do every year.
Intermediate: Yamaha YAS-480 Alto Sax, $2,204
The step-up alto, with the octave-key system from Yamaha's professional 62 series, separate key guards and silicone-treated pads. For a student who has played for a few years and outgrown a beginner horn. #4 of 68 alto saxophones.
Intermediate tenor: Yamaha YTS-480 Tenor Sax, $2,802
The same series as a tenor, the sax most jazz players start on. It ranks near the top of our tenor ranking: #1 of 55 tenor saxophones.
Professional: Yamaha YAS-875 EX B Alto Sax, $6,111
Yamaha's master-class alto, developed with professional players. At this level you're paying for hand finishing and tone that holds up in a recording studio. #1 of 68 alto saxophones.
Professional soprano: Yamaha YSS-82Z Soprano Sax, $5,214
A one-piece straight soprano from Yamaha's Z series, and one of the highest-ranked saxophones of any type in our index: #1 of 38 soprano saxophones.
How much does a baritone saxophone cost?
The baritone is the most expensive common saxophone: its median price at Thomann is $7,533, and 25 of the 28 baritones cost more than $3,500. Two models show the range.
Thomann TBS-150 Baritone Sax, $2,129
A baritone with the low A key, a high F# and a case and mouthpiece in the box, for less than a third of the median. #2 of 26 baritone saxophones.
Yamaha YBS-62II Baritone Sax, $9,643
Yamaha's professional baritone, redesigned with simpler key work and better ergonomics, also with the low A. #1 of 26 baritone saxophones.
Cheaper ways to start: plastic and digital saxophones
If the goal is to see whether a child likes the instrument, a plastic sax costs a fraction of a real one. And if the problem is noise, a digital sax plays through headphones.
Nuvo jSAX Saxophone black-pink 2.0, $94
A plastic beginner saxophone for kids, light and washable. It's a toy compared with a real alto, but a cheap way to find out if the interest lasts. #10 of 27 other saxophones.
Emeo MK1 Digital Sax Classic Gold, $2,016
A digital saxophone with a real saxophone key mechanism and a breath sensor, playable in C, Eb and Bb, that connects to music apps over Bluetooth or USB-C. For apartment practice it costs less than a good intermediate alto. #2 of 27 other saxophones.
Questions
How much does a saxophone cost for a beginner?
Between about $400 and $1,500 for a new alto. The Thomann TAS-180 costs $446 and the Yamaha YAS-280, the school favorite, costs $1,087.
Is a $500 saxophone any good?
For a beginner it can be. The Thomann TAS-180 sits near the top of our alto ranking despite its price. The main risk with very cheap saxophones is that pads and keys need adjusting sooner, so budget for a check-up at a repair shop.
Why are saxophones so expensive?
A saxophone has hundreds of parts, from the brass body to the pads and springs, and professional models are finished and adjusted by hand. Bigger saxophones need more brass and longer keywork, which is why a baritone costs about twice as much as an alto of the same level.
How much does a professional saxophone cost?
Most professional altos at Thomann cost $3,500 to $8,000. Professional tenors run higher: one in ten costs more than $12,000. The most expensive saxophone in the catalog, a Selmer bass saxophone, costs over $32,000.
How we measured. We took every saxophone Thomann listed as in stock on October 18, 2026, 306 in total, and grouped them by Thomann's own categories. Prices are converted from euros at the European Central Bank rate. The products in this guide show today's price and their current place in our rankings, both updated every night; the table and medians are fixed to October 18.
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Denis Kataev runs AudioFu. Every night the site records the prices of more than 38,000 instruments and studio tools at Thomann, and he writes about what those numbers show: what got cheaper, what just arrived, and which discounts are real.
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