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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
The Allswell Hybrid Mattress
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 Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress
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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 Sleep 12" Plush Hybrid Mattress
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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.
Price range: $256 for a twin; $350 for a queen; $460 for a king
Wayfair Sleep™ 8" Medium Memory Foam Mattress
Another Wayfair option that’s an absolute steal, this mattress has a lot of the qualities you’d want. Medium-firm and infused with green tea to keep it fresh, this breathable open-cell foam option offers pressure relief and delivers a good sleep every night. The tight top also features edge support that’ll ensure your sheets stay in place and, to top it all off, it’s at an unbeatable and ultra-affordable price. If you don’t feel entirely convinced, you can tell the quality of this mattress from the over 40,000 five-star reviews—with one reviewer calling it one of the best purchases they’ve ever made and another describing its durability.
Price range: $135 for a twin; $150 for an extra-long twin; $184 for a full; $220 for a queen; $278 for a king
Siena Memory Foam Mattress
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Siena Sleep only makes one mattress, but its three layers of foam construction ensures anyone looking for an all-foam bed at an affordable price point gets everything they need. The top outer layer is soft and breathable, while a responsive, pressure-relieving memory foam layer below contours to your body. The bottom memory foam layer—a 5.5-inch reliable foundation—sits atop a shift-resistant base that keeps the mattress in place, no matter if it’s on a box spring or platform bed. It has tons of five-star reviews from customers praising its medium firmness level and combination of softness and durability, making this an ideal budget-friendly option.
Price range: $199 for a twin; $399 for a queen; $499 for a king
The Best Mattresses Under $800
Serta EZ Tote Mattress
Serta’s Arctic mattress is one of our favorite models for hot sleepers (read our full review here), but at over $3,000 for a queen, it’s not exactly cheap. If you’re looking for a more affordable mattress from the trusted brand, consider the EZ Tote, where the same size costs $649. It features Serta’s cooling gel memory foam that promotes airflow and a foam core that offers edge-to-edge support, as well as a transitional foam layer for added comfort. Reviewers describe it as having a medium firmness level and enough motion support that you won’t feel your partner move around or get up. And in terms of ease of delivery, it’s packaged in Serta’s smallest box ever, so you don’t have to plan your day around a mattress delivery.
Price range: $297 for a twin; $382 for a queen, $509 for a king
Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Essential Mattress
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Brooklyn Bedding tends to skew on the more expensive side, with most of their full and queen mattress priced in the thousands—but the retailer does feature one relatively affordable option that’s especially ideal for those wanting versatility when it comes to mattress types. The Dreamfoam comes in five different sizes ranging from 6 to 14 inches. Each size offers a different level of cushioning, with six the most firm and 14 providing a more soft medium feel if you’re looking for a softer mattress. It comes in a variety of sizes—including measurements for a California king and an RV bunk—and has the backing of over 3,000 reviewers to attest to its quality.
Price range: $192 for a twin; $314 for a full; $367 for a queen; $490 for a king
The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress
The Nectar mattress is one of our top picks for side sleepers, as tested and reviewed by features editor Nick Mafi. “It felt like my body weight sunk into the mattress at just the right level of comfort,” he wrote. It’s also a great mattress for hot sleepers, featuring a two-inch layer of pressure-relieving gel foam that runs cooler than traditional memory foam, as well as a breathable top cooling layer that prevents overheating. Mafi found the medium-firm mattress to be comfortable and supportive not only for sleeping, but when sitting near the head of the bed to read as well.
Price range: $359 for a twin; $659 for a queen; $839 for a king
Cocoon by Sealy Chill Mattress
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Another great option for hot sleepers, the Cocoon Chill memory foam mattress features a stretch-knit cover designed to absorb and dissipate heat. Contributor Cade Hiser found the memory foam to be firmer than expected based on what the site said when he reviewed it. He quickly got used to (and loved) it, finding that the layers adjusted to his sleeping position. (Read his review here.) The all-foam mattress has a 10-inch profile and ensures motion protection, so you won’t feel your partner or your dogs move around at night.
Price range: $499 for a twin; $799 for a queen; $999 for a king
Leesa Studio Mattress
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While Leesa mattresses tend to get priced a little higher, their Studio mattress stands out as a budget-friendly option for anyone looking for an affordable foam model—though commerce editor Audrey Lee reported you wouldn’t know that because of how high quality it is. “The mattress has three layers of foam that hug your body in a way that’s ultra-supportive while providing excellent pressure relief to boot,” she says. “I tend to move around in my sleep, ultimately landing on my side, so in addition to solid motion isolation, the Studio’s all-foam construction supplies a nice amount of give without being too soft for my taste.”
Price range: $529 for a twin; $649 for a full; $749 for a queen; $949 for a king
The Best Mattresses Under $1,000
DreamCloud Hybrid Mattress
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The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress is a mainstay on our best mattresses-in-a-box list, and another great affordable mattress option for side sleepers. It’s made of seven layers, including five types of memory foam that provide pressure-relieving, contouring support. It offers the reduced motion transfer and improved airflow of a hybrid mattress thanks to eight and a half inches of innerspring steel coils, as well as edge support from thicker coils. Market editor Madeline O’Malley found its feel to be “a great middle ground between firm and soft,” noting that though it’s bouncy, she didn’t sink in too much while sleeping. If you’re looking for a mattress that feels more luxurious than its price tag suggests, this is a great buy.
Price range: $529 for a twin; $799 for a queen; $1,000 for a king
Nolah Original Mattress
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The Nolah 10-inch mattress has a four-layer construction consisting of a soft and crisp Tencel cover and three foam layers. The top foam layer is made of the brand’s proprietary AirFoam material, which is designed to offer better pressure point relief than standard memory foam. The mattress falls in the middle of the firmness scale; reviewers find it to be plush but firm enough to offer substantial shoulder and hip support for side sleepers.
Price range: $489 for a twin; $804 for a queen; $944 for a king
Tuft & Needle Original Mattress
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The Tuft & Needle Original Mattress is another foam mattress that feels more high-end than its price tag suggests (though a queen size is hovering just under $1,000). It has a firm, supportive core and a softer memory foam layer that contours to your body. Reviewer Elise Portale has had it for four years and still finds it to be as springy and supportive as it was the first night. And if you’re looking for a cooling mattress, the T&N Original has a graphite and cooling gel-infused layers to ensure even air flow.
Price range: $745 for a twin; $995 for a queen; $1,395 for a king
