Budget Taylor equivalents

El Gull,

This is not an easy question to answer.
You will get many makes and models recommend to you, but you already have the answer to your question on Guitar make etc, the problem is the price.
So my recommendation is a Taylor 3 series, but buy used.

El Gull, I've already said it, but I'll say it again.   

One of the only guitar makers that produces something closer to Taylor than I've ever found anywhere else is certain Alvarez models.  Same neck, same sound, same quality, more bells and whistles like better finishes and a wee bit of inlay for aesthetic love (but not too much more).   The Seagull Artist Cameo from Godin is one of the only guitars from them I felt competed with a Taylor nicely, but purely for sound, the guitar "feels" very different than a Taylor.

There's a particular "something" about the Taylor sound and feel that's very difficult to find in other guitars.  I kind of sum it up as some sort of built in subtle reverb and their signature sparkle along with the comfort of their necks.  Not easy to find others that have those qualities.

Cort deserves a mention here too cuz if you look into their higher end stuff (which don't have higher end prices!) you can find a few models that mimic a Taylor and a Martin, and mimic them very well.

I can't get over the round back.  I've seen a few with bad neck angles and the neck is epoxied in.  That makes them disposable. 

Going back about 15 to 20 years ago the Ovation Guitars were very much in fashion.
Had a couple including the famous Ovation Adamus, thought they were very good Guitars at the time, I always found the bowl back, very uncomfortable.

I think they sound great plugged in, and I don't mind the round back too much from an aesthetics position. But having never played one, I wouldn't know how comfy it is to play. I would think they would make great lead acoustic guitars. I should probably noodle around on one some day.