There are many reasons you might be looking for the best affordable mattress: Maybe you’re on a tight budget or are looking to furnish a guest room, an Airbnb, or even to trick out a camper van. No matter the reason, there’s no need to compromise on comfort as most top-rated mattress brands offer high-quality memory foam and hybrid mattresses at lower prices than their top of the line models. They might have fewer frills—you won’t find a temperature-regulating layer or multizonal support—but they’re all made with quality materials and have features like multiple layers of memory foam, gel-infused cooling layers, and motion transfer control.
Below, you’ll find the best affordable mattresses grouped into three price points (based on a standard queen size): Under $500 for the most budget-conscious, under $800 for those looking for some premium features, and under $1,000 for those looking for entry-level upgrades from D2C favorites like Casper and Tuft & Needle.
The Best Mattresses Under $500
This Allswell mattress has three key features: a cooling memory foam top layer with graphite and copper gel that absorbs your body’s heat, an extra-supportive base layer with pocketed coils, and a quilted top panel. This is a quality mattress for anyone who wants the durability of a traditional coiled mattress with a touch of memory foam. It’s noticeably less expensive than similar foam and hybrid models from Casper and Tuft & Needle, but reviewers find that the high-quality and price combination can’t be beat.
Price range: $217 for a twin; $317 for a queen; $357 for a king
Zinus’s popular memory foam mattress has green tea extract infused into its top layer to maintain freshness. Two additional layers—a high-density foam base foundation and a plush middle layer—combine to create a supportive mattress that cradles your body and offers head-to-toe pressure relief. The mattress is available in varying levels of thickness (6-, 8-, 10-, and 12-inch), with the increasing thicknesses distributed across each layer. (And if you’re looking for a bed frame for your new mattress, look no further than the Zinus Linda Wood Platform, one of the best sleep products we tested in 2022.)
Price range: $219 for a twin; $349 for a queen; $489 for a king
Wayfair’s hybrid mattress from its bed-in-a-box line has all of the essentials: a gel memory foam top layer and two firm poly foam layers on top of a coil base, all resting on a high-density base foam. The top foam layers have a cushioned but supportive feel, while the innerspring layer ensures low motion transfer and durability. At less than $450 for a queen, it’s one of the best cheap mattresses you can buy.
