The Best Affordable Mattresses That Offer a Luxury Feel

There are many reasons you might be looking for the best affordable mattress: Maybe you’re on a tight budget but you still want a good night’s sleep. Maybe you’re 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 might not 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. Many of these high-quality mattresses include sleep trials, 10-year warranties, and free shipping, but be sure to check the fine print before hitting that checkout button.

Our Top Picks for the Best Affordable Mattresses:

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Best Mattresses Under $500 | Best Mattresses Under $800 | Best Mattresses Under $1,000 | More AD-Approved Affordable Mattresses | How We Test | FAQs

Best Mattresses Under $500

Hot sleepers, this one’s for you: Our social media manager Rebecca Grambone has this mattress in her space and can’t stop raving about its cooling technology. She notes that it “actively draws and releases excess heat away from your body through the cooling top cover and copper foam.” Aside from its breathability, she also points to its comfortable feel. While she said it took some time for it to feel more comfortable, she says it now offers a supportive and cozy feel to catch some Z’s. Grambone’s verdict: “I would say that this mattress is a middle ground mattress. It’s not too plush but not too hard—it’s just right!”

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.)

(Editor’s note: You may have read recently that Zinus mattresses contain fiberglass, a common fire retardant that may irritate the skin or cause respiratory issues. Zinus notes that the mattress cover should never be removed and the Consumer Product Safety Commission stated that fiberglass exposure shouldn’t be an issue to users if the cover is left on, but we’ll keep you updated if any further news develops.)

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.

The Best Mattresses Under $800

The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress

The Nectar mattress is one of our top picks for side sleepers, as tested and reviewed by senior 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.

Cocoon by Sealy Chill Mattress

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.

While Leesa mattresses tend to get priced a little higher, their softer mattress, the Studio, 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.”

The DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattress is a great mattress-in-a-box, 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. Our tester, market director 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. Nicely, it also comes with a lifetime warranty.

The Best Mattresses Under $1,000

For those who like a firm mattress, don’t overlook the Burrow’s hybrid bed. Contributor Rachel Davies mentions that it’s pretty firm, but it is designed with pocketed coils, several foam layers, and targeted support zones to help cater to any sleep position. If the mattress feels a little stiff at first, Davies recommends giving it some time. “This mattress has gotten more comfortable as I’ve slept on it, but even at peak stiffness it was never really uncomfortable and I could always fall asleep (I think it took about a week or two to fully adjust),” they say.

Described as a mattress that “excels in terms of movement isolation” by visuals editor Lizzie Soufleris, this affordable bed is a great pick for couples with different sleep patterns. While it might not come with features like a cooling cover, the mattress itself is flippable to offer a medium-firm to firm feel on either side. “I tend to stay away from squishier mattresses, so I opted for the firm side,” Soufleris says. “It provided plenty of support, while still feeling plush, thanks to a layer of latex over the coils.” She notes that it might not be ideal for sleepers who like lying on ultra-firm mattresses, but she thinks the range it offers is still a unique offering to consider.

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 over 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.

More AD-Approved Affordable Mattresses

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 the cushiness of memory foam. It’s noticeably less expensive than similar foam and hybrid models from Casper and Tuft & Needle, but reviewers say that the high-quality and price combination can’t be beat.

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.

This medium-firm bed from Ashley Home marries the softness of a memory foam bed with the support of an innerspring mattress. It has 680 individually wrapped coils to make sure you feel cradled from head to toe (great for back sleepers), plus a plush memory foam top layer that feels soft enough for stomach sleepers.

Here’s a nice, more luxe hybrid option from Tuft & Needle. It’s a stellar option for anyone dwelling in a cooler climate or those among us who love to feel warm and swaddled night after night. It features a layer of pressure-relieving memory foam, plus a layer of six-inch coils to support anyone with muscle soreness, back pain, or other everyday aches and pains. The Nod Hybrid has a medium-soft feel and is constructed with special high-density foam to reduce motion transfer.

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.

How We Test the Best Affordable Mattresses

From our favorite mattresses-in-a-box to beds for side sleepers, AD editors thoroughly test items across the sleep category on a rolling basis. For our affordable mattress reviews, our testers gave each new mattress a trial run of at least a couple weeks of consistent sleep to assess their qualities.