Since my fiancee and I moved in together with her cats, she has always purchased Iams adult cat food weight and hairball control. Apparently, these guys have been fed this brand of food all their lives and it seems to be working because these guys have never been seriously ill, are in great shape and seem quite young for their age (9 and 4).
We look for cat food that doesn't contain certain elements that are really bad for you, like corn oil (I think that's the name, but I could be wrong).
The price doesn't seem to phase her at all, but it's still reasonable ($8 for a medium-sized bag that lasts about two or three weeks).