As the Mantis said, look at a Canon 550D - it's technically been replaced by the 600D, but Canon seem to keep two models of this level in circulation now and you can get some excellent deals on the 550. Low light performance of this and the 1100D is excellent, with hand-hand indoor photos without flash being easy to take and of good quality. But also as he says the lenses are where you can spend real money!
I've got the 550D (after having the 450D) and upgraded from the kit 17-55 lens that comes with the camera to the 15-85 which is about as much again as the camera itself.
If you do get a Canon the 55-250 lens is well worth considering as an excellent value telephoto zoom and perfectly complements the kit lens.
In reality you'll get more than acceptable results even from the kit lens if you're used to a compact or bridge camera, and the DPP software that comes with all the Canon DSLRs helps you improve images further.