Sleep is a luxury that doesn’t have to feel as distant with the right direction. The mattress on your bed plays a huge role in getting a good night’s sleep. You shouldn’t have to break the bank to do so. Fortunately, a lot of affordable and great mattress options have come to market recently, making it easier to experience the best comfort and support without hurting your wallet.
From side sleepers to stomach sleepers, there’s a quality mattress out there for you. Whether you are looking for a softer mattress, a memory foam mattress with great foam layers or the best budget hybrid mattress around, we’ve found something for everyone on a budget.
The prices in this guide are based on queen-size mattresses, since it’s the most common. That doesn’t mean going up or down a mattress size will keep them from being inexpensive; it will likely still be a cheaper mattress for the size you need compared to others on the market. Also, keep in mind that the MSRP prices below do not reflect current discounts and deals. These best cheap mattresses are often less expensive than they appear. Check out our Best Mattress Deals page for all up-to-date mattress discounts.
What’s the best cheap mattress overall?
Allswell is well-known for making comfortable, affordable mattresses. Its flagship model, the Allswell, not only is our pick for the best cheap mattress overall, but it also made our Best Mattress list. The bed is a great value — its hybrid model of pocketed coils and poly foam is similar to a lot of others on the market, yet it’s very affordable. It offers a medium to medium-firm profile and a bouncy, neutral foam feel that should please most sleepers. If you don’t want to sacrifice quality when buying a cheap mattress, the Allswell is your best bet.
Video: Best cheap mattresses for 2024
Watch CNET mattress expert Owen Poole review the best cheap mattresses for 2024.
The best cheap mattresses of 2024
Read full review
Firmness
Medium to medium firm: (6)
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fit for all body types from petite to plus-size
- Recommended for back and stomach sleepers
- Hybrid construction makes it more durable than all foam
Cons
- May be a little too firm for strict side sleepers
- Only one thickness option
The Allswell mattress is 10 inches thick — similar to standard all-foam beds. The bottom layer is made of high-density foam and the next layer is its pocketed coils. Topping the coils is a 0.75-inch of gel memory foam, and the top is a quilted cover. The mattress’ construction is a suitable choice for heavy and normal body types. It doesn’t feel like typical memory foam where it remembers your body. I think the innerspring layer makes it feel a little firmer, so I’d rate it around six or seven out of 10 on the firmness scale, and it is best for back or stomach sleepers. Starting at $217 for a twin size, prices are unbeatable.
Read full review
Firmness
5 or about a medium
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- It’s a durable and supportive hybrid bed
- Medium firmness level suitable for all sleeping positions
- Has cooling technology in the cover
Cons
- Might not provide adequate support for those over 230 pounds
- On the higher end of the budget price range
The Dreamfoam Hybrid is made up of a layer of high-density foam and a 6-inch layer of individually encased coils that help minimize motion transfer and allow for airflow. On top of the coils is a comfort layer of gel memory foam that is responsive and provides pressure-point relief for the shoulders and hips.
One of the best parts of this bed is its soft, quilted cover that has phase-change cooling materials sewn into it — this is a nice feature we often see on luxury beds. This material draws heat away from your body to prevent overheating, similar to the Cocoon Chill. Dreamfoam by Brooklyn Bedding often has deals that bring the queen-size down to $599, which is a fantastic value for all this bed offers.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- All-foam design is ideal for supporting average to petite builds
- Great for those who prefer a classic, dense memory foam feel
- Zoned Support feature helps with proper spinal alignment
- Softer profile mainly works for side and combination sleepers
Cons
- Not for those who prefer neutral foam beds
- Not the best option for back and stomach sleeping
The Nectar Luxe mattress is made of three layers of foam and a soft cover. Another great aspect of this mattress for side sleepers is that the cover is also cool to the touch. Memory foam tends to hold onto your body heat and if you are already a hot sleeper, you will need something to dissipate your heat. Also, if you sleep with a partner, the material of this bed should isolate most cross-mattress motion. However, due to its construction, the edge support is not the best.
The Nectar Luxe might seem pricey, but Nectar, like a lot of other brands on this list, often run promotions to cut the price in half.
Read full review
Type
neutral foam mattress
Firmness
medium to medium-firm
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Ultra budget pick
- Three thickness options
- All-foam design is ideal for average-sized individuals
Cons
- No extra features
- Strong off-gassing when you open it
- Not the best choice for people over 250 pounds
The Dreamfoam Doze comes in three thickness options that change its firmness profile. The most affordable option is seven inches thick, which is the firmest. We estimate it’s medium-firm. Then, the 9-inch thick option is around a true medium, while the 11-inch mattress is the thickest and softest, around a medium-soft. The 9-inch option with medium firmness is likely your best choice to accommodate guests with different sleeping positions or preferences.
Our take – Most cooling beds on the market cost around $1,500. However, with the Cocoon Chill by Sealy, you get cooling technology in a great bed at a fraction of the cost (Sealy deals usually bring this bed down to $700). While the Cocoon Chill is made of memory foam — a material that tends to sleep warm — it is still cool to the touch. The mattress has a phase-changing cover that actively draws heat away from your body and won’t increase your temperature.
Read full review
Type
cooling memory foam mattress
Firmness
medium to medium-firm or 6
Warranty
10-year warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- More affordable than most competing cooling beds
- A great pick for people who get warm at night
- Sealy is a reputable brand with a 10-year warranty
Cons
- Might be a little too firm for strict side sleepers
- Heavy individuals should opt for the more expensive Cocoon Chill Hybrid
The Cocoon Chill is 10 inches high, feels like dense memory foam and is slightly firmer than a medium. We think it’s more around a medium to medium-firm or six out of 10 on the firmness scale, so side sleepers or petite individuals might not find this bed comfortable. However, back and stomach sleepers or those who like firmer beds should enjoy this mattress.
While the retail price looks hefty at first, that’s not usually the price you’ll pay. Sealy is generous with its discounts, which is why we included this mattress on this cheap mattress round-up. You can usually get a queen size for around $300 to $400 off.
Our take – Lucid is another popular mattress brand often bought on Amazon. The affordable Lucid Memory Foam mattress has a dense memory foam feel that responds slowly to pressure and morphs around your body’s curves. It’s ideal for side sleepers as it provides ample pressure relief to the hips and shoulders. Unlike other affordable memory foam mattresses on this list, this bed is available in three different firmness levels and three height options, so you can customize your mattress to fit your specific needs.
Read full review
Type
memory foam mattress
Firmness
medium-soft or 3
Warranty
10-year limited warranty
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Multiple firmness levels available to suit different sleeping positions
- Offers some of the cheapest pricing on our best list
Cons
- The all-foam model won’t be sufficiently supportive for those over 230 pounds
The Lucid Memory Foam bed is made up of a layer of gel memory foam, a layer of transition foam and a sturdy charcoal base. The thickness of these layers depends on the chosen firmness and height. While there are multiple heights to choose from, the 10-inch model is a good value for the price; it isn’t too thin nor too thick. Side sleepers will love the plush or medium model, while back and stomach sleepers will probably prefer the medium or firmer model.
Much goes on behind the scenes to curate our best lists, including countless hours of mattress testing to find out which beds are truly worth your money. Our CNET Sleep editors, including myself, curated this best affordable mattress list by choosing our top favorite cheap beds from the 300+ we’ve tested. With that being said, here are a few honorable mentions below that could also be up for your consideration.
Bear Original mattress: The Bear Original mattress isn’t the cheapest bed we’ve encountered, but it offers excellent value. When it’s on sale, which it normally is, you can snag a queen size for under $700. The Bear Original is made with graphite-gel memory foam, so it doesn’t retain heat like older types of memory foam mattresses used to, and it provides that signature hugging feel memory foam has become known for. One of the best parts — besides the budget mattress price — is the optional Celliant-infused cover, however, this is an added charge.
Dreamfoam Essential mattress: Dreamfoam offers affordable mattresses that we love — as you can see, two of its beds already made this list. The Dreamfoam Essential is also cheap, you can get a queen mattress around $525 and discounts usually knock off another $100. It’s available in multiple thicknesses that will affect the firmness level. However, it didn’t make this list because it doesn’t feel like the Dreamfoam Hybrid or Doze. The mattress is firmer and denser than those two models, so it might not appeal to a wide range of sleepers.
My fellow CNET sleep editors and I chose mattresses based on firmness, feel, performance, durability, features and the brand’s policies. We test beds by lying on them, testing edge support and motion isolation and switching between sleeping position, for example. We also test a mattress’ firmness with our proprietary machine, appropriately named the Mattress Smasher 9000. This heavy duty tool presses into the middle of a bed and our corresponding software measures firmness on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the firmest. While we also test each bed personally for perceived firmness and feel, we have data from the MS9000 to backup our conclusions.
However, with this list specifically, price and value were two of the main metrics we examined. The mattresses we considered “cheap” are anywhere from $300 to $800 (after discounts are applied) and are very basic, often flagship models. They don’t have to have any fancy bells and whistles, yet the chosen mattresses are still comfortable, quality beds at affordable prices.
Read more about our sleep team, our mattress warehouse, the Mattress Smasher 9000 and how we test mattresses.
With any cheap mattress, you get what you pay for. That said, there are cheap mattresses out there that are both worth the money and comfortable to sleep on each night. You can’t expect any crazy bells and whistles, but that’s not typically what you look for in a cheap mattress, after all.
- Construction: The type of mattress you need is determined by your body type. People over 230 pounds should opt for a hybrid mattress because the construction includes steel coils that help to provide more support and durability. People under that weight can opt for an all-foam mattress. Those who are petite or average should also consider thickness; the thicker the mattress, the more supportive and firm it is.
- Brand reputation: It’s important to do your own research when looking for the best cheap mattress, especially on Amazon. Some companies try to sell knock-offs of popular cheap beds like the Tuft & Needle Nod, so be vigilant.
- Firmness: The best firmness level for you depends on your sleeping position. Side sleepers should consider a soft mattress, whereas back and stomach sleepers may want something on the firmer end for ample back support.
- Price: Remember, you get what you pay for. You likely won’t find a bed under $100 or even $200 unless it’s designed to fall apart in a year or is already used.
It’s important to also state possible downsides of buying a cheaper mattress:
- They typically aren’t as thick or durable as an average foam or hybrid bed.
- Unless they have specific cooling technology, cheaper beds can sleep hotter than a regular mattress.
- Unless it’s a hybrid, a cheap mattress likely isn’t supportive enough for someone over 230 pounds.
- Cheap mattresses are made with cheaper or fewer materials to achieve a lower price.
You can buy cheap mattresses online at a brand’s website (such as Zinus) or on Amazon. For your convenience, Amazon carries a lot of cheap and affordable brands such as Tuft & Needle, Zinus, Lucid and some Dreamfoam mattresses.
Cheap mattresses are great for those who aren’t concerned about long-term durability. These beds may be ideal for young people looking to save money or those who need a bed for a guest room, a college dorm room or a first-time apartment. However, if you need a mattress to last more than five years, I recommend saving for a more expensive mattress that is built to last.
We have tested a bunch of budget mattress brands over the years. We have found the budget brands to be Lucid, Zinus, Allswell, Tuft & Needle, Dreamfoam and Sealy.
