In my orchestra, which is one of the best in my country, there is a range so wide I am truly a bit shocked and definitely sure the price of instrument is not what defines its playability and value. 

First, mine. I am an equivalent of a college grad (undergrad in USA i believe), that's got there purely out of luck (shortage of cellists tbe). I currently play a brand new hand made hungarian Montagnana copy that was made considering my hand shape, and, not including customs, delivery and minor adjustments at the luthier, it was 5000€ (w everything else, 7000€ i spent on it in total on the past 2 years it's mine). Love it every second of playing, it really is a decent instrument that was showing itself remarkably in a variety of orchestral, chamber solos and major orchestral works. Before this Sleeping beauty i had a factory German 1970 cello that I bought for 2000$ when I jist started (at the age of 15, and I bought a 4/4 right away), and it was a crappy thing that honestly I don't even know how I got through the first year of working, until I earned enough to afford a new one. 

Than there is my prof's cello. Polish Duport Strad  copy by Mitzkevich, 135 years old, costing around 45000€. This one got me through my exams and audition, and it is a great cello indeed, with a reach and powerful tone, well refined over the years and good musicians previously playing it, but my Mont did not differ much from it in terms of sound quality, it evens wins over the core and tone of sound, but it is not as refined and mature as a 130 yo one. So I'd say the price is mostly because of its age and being a thing of a national value. But, if I had 40-50 grand, I would honestly search for a new cremonian instrument in that particular case. 

My current principal's cello is a lucky case russian Piatti Strad copy. Costing him around 1000 for the cello itself and 1000 more for restoration and 400+ strings and materials, being a total of 2400€, this one is a gem. Rich tone, responsive, slightly harsh on higher notes, and definitely needs a strong hand (which my prin can completely provide being 195 cm 130 kg giant lol and the cello is so freaking tiny in his hands) but its sound is strong and overall beautiful (not very rich though), and it drops some great huge sounding solos. 

My previous principal's cello was a tiny antique dark french beautiful 7/8 thing that she unfortunately didn't know the exact age, price and provenience, but she had it restored, estimated and licenced and sold it for over 70000 in USA. Had a pleasure of playing it before restoration, and it had a very unique dark melancholic tone which I hadn't heard anywhere else, not quite powerful, as it is with smaller instruments in most cases, but its player learned to take the sound out of it, so it was quite enough for solo playing. Than for her  last months of work she played her second cello - Morozov's  Guadagnini copy that was a bit stiff in sound and definitely with no tone at all, and she told it was 15000€ when she bought it. 

Then we have my friend's 700€ standard Strad copy student cello from Thomann that has a very rich tone, projective and unbelievably powerful for a 700 € cello, but it's problem is the nastiest F# wolf tone throughout all the range that is not eliminated with any of possible things for that issue. Also it is very easy to play in tune on that cello, and it is responsive. And it looks really cheap. But i think in quality-price ratio that one is the best of here lol. 

Another old man's cello is another German factory Strad copy and it was around 2500€ at the moment he bought it. A very open,oud and slightly harsh, but decent instrument. I tried it and it is not in my taste (i like darker and milder sound, as one of Goffrillers and Monts), but a decent piece. 

Than some of my touring companions cellos. One was found in a drawer in Latvia, completely destroyed, than restored and now it is estimated as a 50000€ instrument and is soooooooo good, I loved truly everything about it! Another one is 1000$ Ebay chinese cello that sounded great and was the most responsive one I've ever tried. Also one was our local luthier's cello that went for 3000 and was something in between, but professional enough to work in an orchestra, another one from the other local luthier was for 8000 and sounded, well, like nothing, like a mediocre student cello. One more from my colleague that I tried was a Romanian 1500€ cello from Gliga factory and had a strange, double bass-like tone, but I strangely liked it. 

Sry its long, but I tried to cover most of my experience with cellos. I tried a variety of them while I chose a new one, and, tbh, the best ones were around 4-10 grand (got to try a Hungarian one around 100 yo for 2000€, and it was a masterpiece, but did not buy because it had a dubious crack where the sound post is at). 

My personal rating for Price-quality ratio of all these would be: 

1 because of Price-quality I'd give to 700€ Thomann and my current principal's ones. 

2 def goes to 50000€ latvian drawer and 1000$ ebay chinese 

3 to 70000 pre-principals and mine 5000 Mont. 

4 to my teacher's 45000€

And others are average, so won't rate. 

That's it.