Have you looked into the Adidas cycling shoe line? I have a pair of their lace-up road shoes and they are super comfy. My only complaint is they aren’t super stiff, but the flex is only evident on more high-end efforts. Overall, I’ve been happy with them and I was able to get them on Amazon for under $90 (past-year’s model).
https://www.adidas.com/us/the-road-cycling-shoes/IE7018.html