This depends on the type of violin you choose. There are actually cheap violins too but they are low in quality. Quality violins are quite expensive. It takes time to make a violin because it requires tremendous craftsmanship.
The wood has to be refined, shaped and played around with before it can be used to make a violin. The price attached to it is mainly because it is made by highly skilled makers so you pay for the craftsmanship.
Violins are also expensive because of their low volume sales, there isn’t enough sales to justify the investment made, this in turn increase the purchasing cost of individual violin.
It depends upon the quality level you are seeking. Highly skilled makers make the most beautiful violins entirely by hand. People who do work in the workshops in China build this instrument under the supervision of a master builder. The result is an instrument that plays well which can be priced at $200 and up. Our makers in the country are the finest in the world, but the violins they build are expensive.
Although, if you are a skilled violin player, the price is justified. There are also mega factories that produce "instrument-shaped objects." These are made from cheap materials. A result is a pretty object that may never be able to play anything.
