Apple does not generally have the best performance / price: if we use passmark benchmarks[1], the 16-core M3 Max gets 10CPUMark/$, while the ASUS ROG Strix G17 gets 25CPUMark/$.
If we look at the low-end, it is much worse: the cheapest Macbook Pro ($1600) gets 12CPUMark/$, while the Dell Inspiron 15 3535 ($420) gets 45CPUMark/$.
I know there's much more to laptops than their CPUs, but I think my point is still valid.