There are no "see the road" lights on the low side of $50. You could try a Planet Bike Blaze at about $50 - it's bright for the price I suppose. It's definitely way brighter than a cheap light from Target. Might be the equivalent of a Mag Light.

But a $100 bike light is *dramatically* brighter than a $50 bike light. There's not much in the more than $50, less than $100 range - the p7 flashlight is the cheapest light I've heard of that counts as a "too see by" light. And I don't believe the $80 for the light includes the cost of the battery, charger, and bike mount? I personally like the Dinotte 200L, but it's like $100 for the light, plus you need the batteries and charger.

Lights that are good enough to bike by aren't terribly cheap. You don't need to spend $600, but you do need to spend more than $50. That's just the way it is with bike lights. Perhaps you could find someone selling their older system on ebay or craigslist...though then you risk that the battery is shot and just a new battery would cost you $50-$100.