Apple=expensive meme will only die if it stops being true. For example, I can get a Thinkpad T14 Gen 4 with the best processor AMD has to offer, 32 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD for less than the base M2 Air (€1250 vs €1300), which has a pitiful 8 GB/256 GB RAM.
If that's too expensive, an E14 Gen 5 has a previous-generation processor but can be had in a reasonable configuration (Ryzen 5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for around €700.
You can knock a fair chunk (€60) off of the price by getting them without Windows as well, which is a nice option when you're gonna install Linux anyway. But the prices I mentioned is before you even do that!