If you must have an Apple laptop but you don't need much power and you don't care so much about fancy displays and features like Apple's Touch Bar, the base $1,000 13-inch 128GB MacBook Air with a 5th-gen 1.8Ghz Core i5 processor is your best bet – and the cheapest Apple laptop you can buy.
You can also get the model with 256GB of storage for an extra $200.
It's a remarkably portable laptop that can fit anywhere, whether it be the kitchen counter, your lap on the couch, the home office, or while traveling. It'll service basic apps and tasks – think lightweight apps like web browsers, note apps, tax apps, messaging apps – admirably. It'll also run more advanced apps for things like photo editing, but don't expect lightning quick performance.
Something to note: Apple's MacBook Airs don't come with USB-C. Instead, they come with a range of standard ports, including two USB ports, a Thunderbolt 2 port (for hooking up a monitor), and an SD card port (to transfer photos from a camera). There's no need for adapters here. Those who need a simple, capable laptop for basic tasks aren't necessarily chasing the latest and greatest technology and standards, like USB-C, and these standard ports are compatible with the majority of accessories, which is a good thing.
You can get this laptop for less if you buy refurbished models from Apple's Refurbished Mac Store. At the time of writing, there's a listing for a refurbished 1.8Ghz MacBook Air for $850 – $50 cheaper than brand-new. And if you need more than the included 128GB of storage in the base model, you can get a refurbished model with 256GB for $1,020 – just $20 more than the price of a brand-new base model.