Damselfish
Contributor
Look for good instruction, not cheap instruction. If you are lucky enough to find both great, but good is a whole lot more important. While there are ways to save money and not break the bank, scuba is basically not a cheap activity to get started in. If you are worried about the price of certification, that is only the start of it.
Look at everything a class includes when you are comparing prices. Some will list a low price but not include book, gear rental, getting the actual card, or even the OW dives. And even if rental gear is included as it often is, expect as a minimum to have to buy mask/fins/snorkel, and maybe boots or a few other things. (Fins are a good place to save money - you can buy simple relatively inexpensive scuba fins that are just as good or better as expensive gimmicky ones, and buying used fins is also a good way to save money.)
If you are thinking about buying your own snorkeling gear, try to get gear that is suitable for scuba so you don't have to buy it again. Cheap "snorkel" fins can be too wimpy for scuba, and a mask that fits passably for snorkeling may not fit well enough for scuba (where a leaking mask is a big nuisance.)
Look at everything a class includes when you are comparing prices. Some will list a low price but not include book, gear rental, getting the actual card, or even the OW dives. And even if rental gear is included as it often is, expect as a minimum to have to buy mask/fins/snorkel, and maybe boots or a few other things. (Fins are a good place to save money - you can buy simple relatively inexpensive scuba fins that are just as good or better as expensive gimmicky ones, and buying used fins is also a good way to save money.)
If you are thinking about buying your own snorkeling gear, try to get gear that is suitable for scuba so you don't have to buy it again. Cheap "snorkel" fins can be too wimpy for scuba, and a mask that fits passably for snorkeling may not fit well enough for scuba (where a leaking mask is a big nuisance.)