I was looking for one a few months ago and was going to go mesh, except most that I found were at least $250 or more with a router and an access point. Then I was reading about the Asus RT-AC86U (single router) on RFD, well-reviewed and recommended. Bought for $167 on sale from The Source and it has AIMesh, so could expand with another unit if need be. I am very impressed with this router - covering an 1800 sq ft house with no issues/dead spots like I had with my old D-Link. Speeds have improved quite a bit as well.
So the moral of the story is, look into a decent single unit router before you convince yourself that you need a mesh unit with 2-3 access points that may cost you a fair bit more. Preferably a unit that you can expand on afterwards if it is warranted.