Shopping for the best budget mattress online can be a challenge, especially when looking for an affordable yet comfortable and durable bed. Lucky for you, we’ve tested over 175 of the most popular online mattresses ranging from under $300 beds to $4,000 luxury mattresses. As such, we feel like we have a good grasp of the current market offerings and which budget beds offer the most value to consumers. Whether you’re after a firm mattress or the best value available, we’ve done the hard work, so you don’t have to.

Top 8 Best Cheap Mattresses Of 2022

  • Best Cheap Mattress Video Review

    Swipe to see why these made our list

    Swipe to see why these made our list

  • What Makes These The Best Cheap Beds?

    In order to put together this list, we had to make a major assumption concerning price. In short, each online mattress on this list costs around $700 for a cheap queen mattress after considering discounts and coupon codes. In other words, they’re all a good value. We feel like this is an approachable price point for most consumers on a tight budget given the average queen-size bed in a box costs around $1,000. We’ve also included options on this list in the $200-$400 range. Conversely, if you have a budget that is slightly above $700, you might want to check out our list of the Best Mattresses Under $1,000. If we’re talking about an affordable king mattress, the price would be around $1.5K or under. Smaller beds will cost less money. We spend hours personally testing the best mattresses and researching the best options to make this list.

Compare Best Cheap Mattresses

Best Cheap Memory Foam Mattress

Nectar
Nectar
Why it’s Great
Nectar could be the most popular memory foam mattress online. It’s affordable, comfortable, and usually comes with free pillows. They also have monthly payment options with Affirm.
Best for
If you want a dense memory foam mattress
People that need a comfy memory foam bed
All sleep styles
Petite to average body types
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Medium
Type
Memory Foam
Temp
Neutral

Why Nectar wins as best cheap memory foam mattress

Nectar is one of the most popular budget mattresses in a box on the market. It’s an annual choice on this list for a good reason—it’s a solid memory foam bed. It provides that dense, slow responding feel that TempurPedic does at a much lower price. We think that Nectar is an excellent value. A Nectar bed will go for about $800 for the queen, plus some sort of accessory.

 Nectar’s best features

  • Not only is this an affordable memory foam mattress, you almost always get two free pillows ($150 value) with your purchase. If you recently moved or you’re just tired of your current bedroom setup and have a tight budget, the Nectar mattress plus pillow combination deal is hard to pass up. 
  • We think it’s around a medium to medium-firm on the firmness scale, which is great for almost all sleeper types (especially back and stomach sleepers).
  • The company often offers discounts in the $100 range.

Editor’s Choice

Bear Mattress
Bear Mattress
Why it’s Great
Bear Mattress is not only one of the most popular memory foam beds online, but also one of the most affordable at under $800 for the queen size.
Best for
Budget shoppers looking for a memory foam mattress
Back, stomach, or combo sleepers
Average-sized sleepers
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Medium
Type
Memory Foam
Temp
Neutral

Why Bear wins as editor’s choice

Sometimes the word “cheap” is tied to the connotation of “bad-quality.” While that doesn’t ring true for any of the beds on this list, Bear Mattress is one of the highest-quality foam beds offered online. It’s a comfy memory foam bed with the special added touch of a Celliant-infused cover. If you’re a back, stomach, or combo sleeper under 230 lbs. who enjoys the dense feel of memory foam, this is a great pick.

Bear Mattress Side Sleeper

Bear’s best features

  • The flagship Bear Mattress is 10” thick with a dense memory foam comfort layer and a special Celliant cover that is supposed to boost your sleep quality and revitalize you by utilizing infrared energy. While we don’t have a scientific method to prove it works, we do think it’s a nice perk. Plus, it’s comfortable and accommodating for folks who like memory foam without the “stuck-in-the-mud” feel.
  • On our scale from soft to firm, we rated Bear Mattress slightly firmer than a medium, or around a six out of ten on the numerical scale. It’s perfect for most sleeper types, especially back and stomach sleepers or combo sleepers who like to switch positions during the night. 
  • Now, let’s get to the price. A queen size will retail for about $800, but with the Slumber Yard’s discounts, you’ll get about 20% off (or more). As such, you’ll usually walk away with around $160 off.

Best Cheap Hybrid Mattress

Brooklyn Bedding Bowery Hybrid
Brooklyn Bedding Bowery Hybrid
Why it’s Great
Bowery Hybrid is a budget-tier coil mattress with a firmer profile. It’s made in the USA and comes with free returns.
Best for
Stomach and back sleepers
People that want an affordable, firmer coil mattress
All body types
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Firm
Type
Soft Foam
Temp
Neutral

Why Bowery Hybrid wins as best cheap hybrid mattress

For those unfamiliar with Brooklyn Bedding, the company makes its own mattresses, unlike most online mattress-in-a-box brands. That’s why we think this quality hybrid bed offer’s such great value. The queen size is around $800, but we’ve seen it drop to around $650 before. That’s crazy considering the premium construction, making it one of the best value mattresses.

Bowery Hybrid’s best features

  • Bowery Hybrid is a firm mattress with a neutral-foam feel—technically, it lands around a medium-firm on the firmness scale. 
  • We think the mattress is ideal for back, stomach, and combination sleepers. However, if you’re a strict side sleeper over 230 lbs, you’ll likely be fine. 
  • One of the more affordable hybrid mattresses we’ve tested because the brand owns their own manufacturing factories, cutting out costs of the middle-man.
  • Suitable for all body types from petite to heavy because of its durable pocketed coil foundation.

Best Cheap Comfy Mattress

Casper Element
Casper Element
Why it’s Great

The Element is Casper’s budget-tier mattress, made with two layers of foam. We think it’s incredibly comfortable, especially for the price.

Best for
People that want a comfy all-foam bed
All sleeping positions
Petite to average body types
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Medium
Type
Soft Foam
Temp
Neutral

Why Casper Element wins as best cheap comfty mattress

We are big fans of this bed. Casper first introduced the Element in early 2020 to compete in the budget mattress space. It checks a lot of boxes as far as price and comfort go and is essentially a cheaper alternative to the popular Casper mattress. As of writing this, the king-size was roughly around $800 on Casper.com, making Casper one of the best affordable king mattresses.

casper element review back sleeper

Casper Element’s best features

  • The Element has a soft, neutral-foam feel that most people will really enjoy and rates about a medium on the firmness scale
  • Not only will the majority of people out there like the bed’s feel, but it will also accommodate all sleeper types. 
  • The Element will be best for people who weigh under 230 lbs. because it doesn’t have a hybrid construction like Brooklyn Bedding Bowery.

Cheapest Mattress-in-a-Box

Tuft & Needle Original
Tuft & Needle Original
Why it’s Great

Tuft & Needle is quite possibly the most popular budget mattress online. The original bed is comfortable and accommodates all types of sleepers.

Best for
Shoppers who want an affordable foam mattress
All sleep positions, including back, stomach and side
Average and petite sleepers
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Medium
Type
Soft Foam
Temp
Neutral

Why Tuft & Needle wins as best cheap mattress-in-a-box

Tuft & Needle was one of the first major players in the mattress-in-a-box industry alongside Casper and is often credited for bringing the concept into the mainstream spotlight. This gave the company a huge leg up in terms of brand awareness. Still, to this day, Tuft & Needle is known as THE budget mattress in the online industry.

If you’re tired of mattress shopping and want to go with a trusted brand and get a generally comfortable bed that performs well in almost all categories, this bed is your meal ticket. After all, this mattress very well could be one of the best cheap foam mattresses. Last we checked, the queen mattress was about $895, but visit T&N’s website for current deals.

tuft and needle mattress review

Tuft & Needle’s best features

  • The Tuft & Needle mattress is an all-foam bed that has a neutral, soft foam feel. 
  • It comes in around a medium on the firmness scale, making it an excellent option for back, stomach, side, and combo sleepers. 
  • Has a simple 2-layer construction that is best for sleepers under the 230 lbs. range.

Best Cheap Firm Mattress

Allswell
Allswell
Why it’s Great

The Allswell from Walmart is a hybrid mattress that sells for a surprisingly low price, which of course, is very on-brand for the company who stresses affordability.

Best for
If you want a foam innerspring mattress
All sleeper types, especially back and stomach sleepers
All body types, especially average and heavy
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Firm
Type
Memory Foam
Temp
Neutral

Why Allswell wins as best cheap firm mattress

Often, a hybrid mattress will come out to be more expensive than a foam mattress like Casper or Nectar. Allswell, on the other hand, offers additional support with a firm hybrid design (innerspring and foam) for a low price, making it one of the best budget firm mattresses. With that said, we think it’s firm without being overly supportive, and it provides a comfortable neutral-foam feel most people seem to love.

allswell hybrid mattress review stomach sleeper

Allswell’s best features

  • Allswell is Walmart’s online mattress offering, so it’s not a huge surprise that it has such a wallet-friendly price tag. 
  • The mattress can save you money and still offer you comfort and durability.
  • The mattress is suitable for all body types, including sleepers over 230 lbs, and thanks to its slightly firmer profile, it’s an ideal affordable mattress for back and stomach sleepers.

Best Cheap Mattress on Amazon

Lucid 10″ Memory Foam Hybrid
Lucid 10
Why it’s Great
The Lucid 10″ Memory Foam Hybrid is a budget-tier coil mattress that’s comfortable despite being cheap.
Best for
Those looking for a memory foam bed with coils
If you want a surprisingly nice but cheap mattress
All body types, especially plus-size
All sleeper types, even better for side and combo
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Medium
Type
Memory Foam
Temp
Neutral

Why Lucid wins as best cheap mattress on Amazon

Lucid is a brand known for providing solid beds at low price points, and this mattress is no exception. You can often find a queen size below the $300 mark, but pricing is constantly changing, so keep an eye out. Despite being a hybrid mattress, this is also a fairly inexpensive bed with a comfortable memory foam feel. We think memory foam lovers of all sizes will be happy with it!

lucid gel memory foam hybrid review edge support

Lucid’s best features

  • The feel of the mattress is similar to a blend between memory foam and neutral foam. 
  • Overall, we think most people will find the bed to be a comfortable, inexpensive mattress.
  • The bed comes in around a medium on the firmness scale, making it great for all kinds of sleepers. It provides enough pressure relief for side sleepers and support for back and stomach sleepers.
  • Because of its supportive hybrid construction, petite, average, and heavy sleepers can all sleep comfortably on it.

Best Cheap Cooling Mattress

Cocoon by Sealy Chill
Cocoon by Sealy Chill
Why it’s Great
Cocoon Chill is one of the best budget-tier cooling mattresses. It’s a firmer bed with a dense memory foam feel.
Best for
If you like dense memory foam
Hot sleepers on a limited budget
People that like firmer beds
All sleeper types, especially back and stomach
Petite to average body types
Sleep Positions
Back, Side and Stomach
Product Details
Firmness
Firm
Type
Memory Foam
Temp
Cooling

Why Cocoon Chill wins as best cheap cooling mattress

Sealy is one of the most popular mattress brands in the sleep industry, not just the online market. Cocoon Chill is their cooling bed in a box mattress, and it’s a memory foam bed with technology to help hot sleepers feel more comfortable. 

Cooling beds tend to be on the more expensive side because of the extra time and labor required to make it. Cocoon by Sealy, however, managed to make a cooling mattress at an ultra fair price. The queen-size Cocoon Chill mattress retails around $1,080. Though, with additional promotions and deals, it’s usually around 35% off.

cocoon mattress for side sleepers

Cocoon Chill’s best features

  • The trick to the bed’s cooling is its phase-change cover, which absorbs your body heat and disperses it away from your body. We also think it’s a bit cool-to-the-touch, so you can tell it’s a cooling bed right away.
  • We rated this mattress around a medium to medium-firm, so it’s ideal for back, stomach, and combo sleepers. 
  • We also recommend this bed to sleepers under 230 lbs, but they offer a hybrid mattress that’s built to be more supportive, and it’s easy on your wallet.

How To Pick Quality Cheap Mattresses

When you’re looking for an inexpensive mattress, you do need to consider other elements beyond just the price. The materials will make a big difference in how good your bed is, affecting durability and quality of sleep. You don’t want to end up with a mattress that you have to replace too soon or change because you can’t get comfortable in it.

  • Cheap Memory Foam Mattresses

    Even if you get an affordable memory foam mattress, it should have certain commonalities with a more expensive option. The foam cradles your body, but can also leave people feeling stuck. We’ve seen so many inexpensive memory foam beds online and in stores, and they tend to be thinner and not as supportive because they are designed for a smaller body type. 

    Budget foam mattresses also frequently have a dense feel that you may like or not like. Not all affordable memory foam mattresses have the same feel, but most of them are similar. They also tend to sleep hot because you sink into the mattress and the material surrounds your body, not allowing for good airflow.  

    Gel memory foam is a newer technology with a similar feel but incorporates gel for added temperature regulation. The idea here is to offer an inexpensive bed that doesn’t tend to be as warm as traditional memory foam. There are several budget mattresses with gel memory foam on the market. For example, Nectar is both a cheap mattress and a budget gel memory foam mattress because it uses this material in its comfort layers.

  • Budget Latex Mattresses

    Latex mattresses have a more sponge-like feel. Latex is bouncy and airy, so it tends to stay cooler than memory foam. Many latex beds tend to take the natural and organic angle, which means they will cost more than a cheap foam mattress, so even a cheap latex mattress is likely to be more expensive than other options on this list. These are often also considered to be firm mattresses because of how responsive they are.

  • Polyurethane Foam Budget Mattresses

    Polyurethane foam is commonly used for support in an all-foam bed. It comes in many different densities and is typically affordable. Polyfoam beds tend to be a good value. Technically, all inexpensive memory foam mattresses are made of polyfoam because memory foam is just poly foam injected with a viscous material. We have seen more budget foam mattresses made with poly foam than anything—and most people find them incredibly comfortable. For instance, Casper Element uses poly foam primarily.

  • Affordable Hybrid Mattresses

    With coils, you have two options: pocketed coils or traditional innerspring. Both are bouncy and responsive, and both allow for good airflow. Innersprings transfer motion, however.

    Some mattresses will use gel or Hyper-Elastic Polymer (only Purple beds), which has a unique feel and is heavy but comfortable. However, beds with this kind of proprietary material are expensive and don’t make it to the best cheap mattress lists.

    Most of the time, when you’re dealing with a budget hybrid mattress, you’re looking at 6″ pocketed coils and two to three comfort foam layers. These more inexpensive beds will often be firm because they don’t have a ton of comfort foams. As an example, the Brooklyn Bowery Hybrid and Allswell mattresses are pretty firm because they have coils and just a few layers of foam.

How We Test The Mattresses

  • My Slumber Yard
    My Slumber Yard has been around since the beginning of the bed in a box craze. Our team has personally tested and reviewed over 175 mattresses so far, and we keep more than 150 beds in our office so we can compare them (and take afternoon naps).
    When testing mattresses, we evaluate the following factors:
    • Construction: We cut beds open to see what’s inside and how it’s made.
    • Feel: We check if it has a stuck-in-the-mud memory foam feel, or if it’s more of a neutral foam or a plush pillow top, etc.
    • Firmness: We have our own firmness scale and evaluate how that may vary depending on your body and sleeper type.
    • Pressure relief: We test what’s the sweet spot for different body and sleeper types.
    • Support: How that changes by body/sleeper type
    • Edge Support: This is important for couples who share a bed. Would you roll-out of the bed, or can you sleep confidently close to the edges?
    • Motion Isolation: We use the water glass test to see how the bed fares with motion transfer. This is another important factor for couples that don’t want to wake up one another when they move.
    • Temperature Regulation: We use a temperature gun to evaluate if the bed warms up, stays neutral or actively cools while you sleep.
    • Noise: This could be an issue in beds with coils or innerspring.
    • Off-Gassing: Some beds could have a smell for a few weeks after unpacking, and we try to warn you about it.
    • Company Policies: We also take into account policies such as shipping, returns, trial period and warranty.
    • Value: We look at a bed’s price in the context of what it offers in terms of features and quality of materials and construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are cheap mattresses worth it?

If you have 100 to 365 nights to test out whether you like a bed for most of these online brands, why not try it? If you hate it, you can always return it. But if you like it, that’s money well saved. Just remember that value is distinct from price.

What are the best budget mattress brands?

There are plenty of fantastic budget mattress brands, but some of our favorites are Bear, Nectar, Casper, Leesa, and Tuft & Needle.

How much should I spend on a cheap mattress?

If you’re on a tight budget, you should be able to get a really nice bed for $700 or less (queen size).

Can I try an online mattress in a store?

You might, as some bed in a box mattress brands have showrooms or are available in retailers around the country. To make it easier to find, brands like Nectar, Purple, Casper, Brooklyn Bedding, Bear and Tuft & Needle have store locator tools on their websites.

What certifications should I look for?

If you’re buying a cheap mattress, you want to make sure it has the CertiPUR-US certification. This guarantees that the foams used in the bed don’t contain harmful chemicals.

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Why Trust Us

Get the kind of sleep you’ve only dreamed of with some help from our team of mattress experts. We personally test more than 175 of the best sleep solutions from over 60 leading brands on site, so you can be sure you’re getting unbiased reviews, fair comparisons and personalized recommendations.


The Review Team

  • Jon Gomez

    Side Sleeper

  • JD

    JD Christison

    Combo Sleeper

  • dillon lopez slumber yard

    Dillon Lopez

    Combo Sleeper

  • kenzie

    McKenzie Dillon

    Combo Sleeper