You will find a huge difference in prices depending on school and location. For example, a mom and pop school at a small uncontrolled field in Arkansas are going to be a lot cheaper than a large school in SoCal.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both, its hard to advise on what is best for you, only you can decide that. I would say that if you have a desire to go into the airlines then the fastest method with the lowest amount of debt is best!
For what its worth, I was around $7500 for my private in South Louisiana