Lucky McDermott cues are great I think. The Dufferin house cues and Valley house cues were always good in general. I have a Dufferin one piece that is a great cue.
Aska Billiards runs lots for sale on Ebay. Their Sneaky Petes seem good, but I have never shot with them, I heard they are decent. You can get a set in the hundred dollar range.
Here is an example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pool-Cue-Sn...ultDomain_0&hash=item20c0896094#ht_5846wt_992
Just do an Ebay search for Aska Sneaky to see more.
You can also search Dufferin and Valley and find sets of house cues for decent prices.
I have always kept a one piece to leave at my local pool hall or bar. That way it is there for me if I drop in. I never carry a cue in my trunk. For many years I had a Valley, since 2007 it has been a Dufferin.
You can get pretty decent shooting house cues on a tight budget.
I don't know what kind you have but I have seen people buy some pretty nice tables and get pretty crappy balls and cues with them. I used to advise to negotiate the better cues and balls into the deal when buying a new table. Usually they offer it as an option or upgrade. IMHO if I'm spending thousands on a new table then give me decent balls and cues.
I have only ever once bought a new table and that's what I did. I got Valley cues. That was a Brunswick Ventura in Mahogany around 1990, for my office.