The invention relates to a low-cost preparation method for palbociclib. The low-cost preparation method comprises the following steps: by taking 2,4-dichloro-5-cyanopyrimidine as an initial raw material, performing cyano Grignard and hydrolysis so as to obtain 5-acetyl-2,4-dichloropyrimidine, protecting carbonyl, performing amination, removing carbonyl, performing acylation reaction by using diketene and amino so as to obtain 5-acetyl-4-acetoacetamide-2-chloropyrimidine, performing intramolecular dehydration on the product so as to obtain 6-acetyl-8-cyclopentyl-5-methyl-2-chlorine-8H-pyridino-[2,3-d] pyrimidine-7-ketone, protecting 6 acetyl groups by using carbonyl, further realizing reaction with an aminopyridine derivative so as to obtain 4-{6-[(6-1,1 dialkoxyl) ethyl-8-cyclopentyl-5-methyl-7-keton-7,8 dihydropyridino-[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2-amino]-pyridine-3-yl}-piperazine-1-carboxylic acid tert-butyl ester, and finally performing acid hydrolysis and neutralization to obtain palbociclib free alkali. By adopting the low-cost preparation method, the raw materials are easy to obtain, the cost is low, and the environment can be protected.