I was in a similar boat, debating the same thing myself. I tried several pairs of shoes and ultimately decided on some specialized carbon soles, they were on sale for $200, regular price was $250, don't know which model.

Having ridden in them twice I have NO regrets. They fit well, the carbon soles are amazingly stiff and I was surprised at how much better they felt in the saddle and putting power down. From what I've read they'll last 10,000 plus miles. So it's not something you'll be purchasing quarterly and probably not even yearly.

Buy what's comfortable and something that will last.