Chewy,
Although not from your area and therefore not able to advise on a specific school, I would suggest the following.
Cheap does not always mean poor instruction, likewise expensive does not guarantee good instruction. In comparing costs you need to get all of your comparable schools to one baseline.
Aircraft time can be charged as either on the Hobbs meter (which is operated and therefore starts running the moment the negine does) or brakes off to brakes on (therefore you are not paying for the considerable time it may take you as a learner to complete the after start checks etc.
Likewise, some clubs quote prices without VAT, others require considerable club membership fees and some incorporate landing fees into the hourly rate whilst some don't.
I would therefore largley suggest that assessing a school by cost alone is difficult because you need to get each price onto the same level playing field. Your aim is to learn and so the best and quickest way to learn will be to put yourself into an environment , you feel you can learn best in which means that your cash will not be wasted repeating exercises because you are not happy with your training.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ever pay a club large sums of money up front. If they fold you will never see that money again and likewise any reputable club will be happy to deal with you hour by hour financially.
Lastly, visit all the clubs within striking distance (some flying magazines have where to fly guides, but the one I prefer is the GA Directory on
www.flyer.co.uk). Speak to instructors and students alike to get a feel for the place. Have a mouch round the aircraft and take in the atmosphere.
Generally speaking the cheapest aircraft to learn on are cessna 152's and they are very abundant, but again being cheapest does not guarantee best.
Regards
Obs cop