Best Cheap Mattress for 2023

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Having a quality mattress is crucial when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. Don’t worry if the intimidating multi-thousand-dollar price tags on high-end mattresses have kept you from upgrading your old, lumpy mattress. There are plenty of affordable, quality mattresses that you can pick up for just $800 — or even less — that will help you sleep soundly. I’ve personally tried out more than 100 mattresses in my day, so I’ve come to know a good value when I see one.

Regardless of what cheap mattress type you may be looking for — a firm mattress, a soft mattress, a memory foam mattress, an innerspring mattress or a cooling mattress for hot sleepers — there’s an option that fits your needs and I’m here to help guide you.

I have tested over 100 different beds, and have picked out the cheap mattress models that stick out from the pack of Amazon bed and bed-in-a-box mattresses. Whether they offer more features or are more durable than what you’d expect from a cheap bed, these mattresses are price-friendly beds worth the money. Read on to find the best cheap mattress for you.

All prices shown are for queen-size models and are subject to change.

Video: Best Cheap Mattresses for 2023

Watch CNET video producer Owen Poole review the best cheap mattresses for 2023.

Casper

Type

Poly foam mattress

Firmness

5 out of 10 or medium

Trial

100 nights

Warranty

10-year limited warranty

A general rule of thumb when looking for the best mattress that fits your budget is the thicker the bed, the more supportive it’s going to be. The Casper Element foam mattress has a 10-inch thickness, similar to popular foam beds like the Layla mattress and Puffy mattress, but it costs a fraction of the price. Like the Tuft and Needle Nod, the Casper Element has two layers, but the additional 2 inches of foam layer makes it slightly more supportive, and more likely to outlast the Nod in the long term.

The Casper Element has a light, airy, classic foam feel that’s soft like memory foam, but way more responsive and better for motion isolation. The foam will slightly conform to the curves of your body, but this Casper mattress doesn’t give you that sinking feeling that memory foam can. Most people will find this affordable mattress is really comfortable. The feel isn’t as divisive as memory foam, or even latex foam can be.

It’s a hair firmer than a medium, but it still offers a great balance between pressure relief and support for body types under 230 pounds, regardless if you sleep on your back, side, stomach or a combination. Since the Casper Element is so accommodating and one of the thicker cheap beds I’ve come across, I believe it deserves a top spot on this cheap mattress review list. Casper is also a trustworthy mattress brand that helped set the standard for what quality and affordable boxed mattresses can be.

Prices start at $495 for a twin size and go up to $895 for a California king.

Casper Element

up to $600 off mattresses

My Slumber Yard

Type

Memory-foam mattress

Firmness

3-4 or medium-soft

Trial

100 nights

Warranty

10-year limited warranty

The Zinus Green Tea mattress comes out on top as the most affordable mattress on this list. It’s cheap bed-in-a-box mattress that offers a great value to people who want a soft memory foam mattress. It’s rated around a medium-soft or a 3 out of 10 on the firmness scale, so it’s suited best for side sleepers and smaller individuals under 150 pounds seeking optimal pressure relief.

Zinus Green Tea bed is four layers and 12 inches, making it thicker than most cheap mattresses I’ve tested. However, there are more height options which will typically make the bed even cheaper. The thinner the mattress, more often than not, the quicker it wears out.

It definitely has a prominent, syrupy memory foam feel that really engulfs you when you lay on the bed. It’s pressure-relieving like I mentioned before, but it’s best for people who truly love the hugging feel of memory foam.

The Zinus mattress is available on Amazon and retails for $359. With that being said, Amazon is usually offering a discount on the bed to make it even more price-friendly.

Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam

Allswell

Type

Hybrid mattress

Firmness

6 or medium to medium-firm

Trial

100 nights

Warranty

10-year limited warranty

The Allswell brand comes from one of the most popular and cheapest retailers in the world, Walmart, which decided it wanted to enter the bed-in-a-box mattress game. Because hybrid beds’ base layers are made with steel coils rather than foam, having the foam layer on top, they tend to be pricier to manufacture, and in turn, are sold for more. Though that isn’t the case with this cheap mattress from Allswell. It’s one of the most affordable hybrid mattresses I’ve ever seen, especially if you want a cheap queen or king mattress. I would even go as far as to say it’s the best value mattress in our list.

In total this affordable mattress is around 10 inches thick — similar to popular, standard foam mattress beds — and in the bottom you can find a 6-inch layer of pocketed coils. That layer is the secret sauce to the Allswell’s supportive design and is topped with a few foam layers, including the 0.75 inch of gel memory foam comfort layer quilted into the top cover. It’s a suitable choice for all body sizes, including those over 230 pounds, and provides a moderate amount of pressure relief.

It doesn’t feel like memory foam where your handprint lasts a few moments before bouncing back to normal. It bounces back pretty quickly, and the pillow top adds a slight plushy feel. I think the innerspring layer makes it feel a little more firm, though, making me rate it around a six or seven out of 10 on the firmness scale. It’s firmer than a medium, making it most suitable for back and stomach sleepers.

Prices are affordable, starting at $339 for a twin and go up to $539 for a California king, though you can often find it cheaper on sale.

Allswell

Cocoon by Sealy

Type

Cooling Memory foam mattress

Firmness

Medium to medium-firm or 6

Trial

100 nights

Warranty

10-year warranty

Cocoon Chill is an anomaly because it has effective cooling tech that actually works, but is cheaper than most regular foam mattresses out there. Cooling mattresses tend to be more expensive because you pay more for the added features. However, the Cocoon Chill is one of the cheapest cooling mattresses you can get. The secret to the sauce is the phase change material in the cover that absorbs your heat and helps delivers cooling relief.

The foam in the mattress is memory foam, so it doesn’t have a slow-responding feel. The foam takes a few seconds to respond to pressure, but once it does, it starts to morph around the curves of your body and provides a pressure-relieving feel. Though, it’s not a soft mattress. It’s slightly firmer than a medium; around a medium to medium-firm or 6 on the firmness scale. I think most sleepers will find this bed comfortable, unless you’re a petite side sleepers. This mattress is great for almost any budget.

Those over 230 pounds can opt for the Cocoon Chill Hybrid mattress. It’s a little more expensive, but it will offer extra support and durability you need for it to be long-lasting. It is still a cheaper option than other mattress for hot sleepers.

Retail costs start at $769 for a twin and go up to $1,539 for a California King. That’s not the price you’ll typically pay, though. They are generous with discounts which is why we included this mattress on this cheap mattress list, and you can usually get a queen size for around $300-$400 off.

Cocoon by Sealy Chill

35% off + free pillows and sheets applied in cart

* Pricing based on Queen model

Amazon

Type

Poly foam mattress

Firmness

medium or 5

Trial

100 nights

Warranty

10-year limited warranty

With a 4.5-star rating and over 2,000 reviews, I have to go ahead and agree with the customer reviews about this best cheap mattress. The Tuft & Needle Nod, an Amazon exclusive with free shipping for Prime users making it even more affordable, has a simple two-layer all-foam design that suits most sleepers under 230 pounds. It doesn’t feature any special bells and whistles, but you’re reading this because you’re looking for the best cheap bed, not the best foam mattress your savings account can buy. It offers classic, neutral comfort and is seriously affordable.

It starts with a base layer about 5.5 inches thick. The top comfort layer is airy and responsive, unlike memory foam. It’s also a little more breathable than your typical memory foam mattress because the foam is more aerated. Both layers stack up to 8 inches in total.

Tuft & Needle is a reputable brand that became so popular because its mattresses offer comfort without all the hoopla and because they are very affordable for buyers with a budget. That’s one of the reasons why I think it’s the best cheap mattress on Amazon, as some sellers can be a little… unreliable. When shopping for an inexpensive mattress, it’s tempting to buy something with the lowest price on Amazon, but you’re better off buying from a reputable brand.

Prices are cheap, starting at $297 for a twin and max out at $509 for a California king. Because this mattress is sold through Amazon, prices frequently change but usually stay within this affordable range.

Tuft and Needle Nod

Up to $600 off our bestselling Mint Mattress plus, up to 20% off more sleep favorites

My Slumber Yard

Type

Memory foam mattress

Firmness

Medium-soft or 3

Trial

30 nights

Warranty

10-year limited warranty

The Lucid mattress is another Amazon-exclusive bed that’s a big hit among shoppers as it’s racked up over 5,000 positive reviews on the online retailer’s website. This cheap mattress is offered in three different firmness levels and a wide range of heights so you can customize your mattress to fit your specific needs. Side sleepers will love the plush or medium model, while back and stomach sleepers will probably like the medium or firmer model.

It has a dense memory foam feel that responds very slowly to pressure and morphs around your body’s curves. This particular model isn’t a hybrid, meaning it’s only made with foam materials and not coils. For that reason, I’d primarily recommend this bed to people who weigh under 230 pounds because it won’t be supportive enough in the long run. With that said, the thicker the height you choose, the more supportive your bed is going to be.

This is the best cheap memory foam mattress, and its prices start at $210 for a 10-inch twin and go up to $439 for a California king.

Read our Lucid mattress review..

Lucid 10-inch Gel Memory Foam

Other cheap mattresses we’ve tested

There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to curate our best lists, including hundreds of mattress testing hours to find out which beds are truly worth your money. Our CNET Sleep editors are the ones who curated this best affordable mattress best list, as they chose their top favorite cheap beds from the 100+ they’ve tested. With that being said, they’ve also included a few more mattress options below that could also be up for consideration.

Bear mattress: The Bear Original mattress isn’t the cheapest bed we’ve come across, but it offers a great value. It’s 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, in my opinion, besides the budget mattress price, is its Celliant-infused cover.

How we test cheap mattresses

CNET editors pick the products and services we write about based on editorial merit. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. For this list, we considered a “cheap mattress” to be in between $300 and $800 (with discounts applied). Many cheap mattresses are low-quality, but the ones listed here were chosen because of their ability to stand out as quality beds at affordable prices.

It’s impressive to have a cheap mattress with cooling tech, a thick cheap mattress or a cheap mattress with targeted support and pressure relief. Other cheap beds listed don’t have special qualities, but they’re mighty comfortable for the price they offer and are more durable than poor cheap mattresses.

What to expect from a cheap mattress

You know the saying you get what you pay for, and that usually rings true with mattresses as well. With that being said, there are cheap mattresses out there that are both worth the money and comfy 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. We also feel it’s important to remind you of possible downsides of buying a cheap mattress:

They typically aren’t as thick or durable as an average foam or hybrid bed
Unless there’s specific cooling tech, they can sleep hotter than a regular mattress
Cheap beds don’t usually use organic or natural materials
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 less materials to achieve a lower price

What you can expect is a few layers of comfy foam or a layer of pocketed coils if you go for something like the Allswell mattress. You can typically get around three to five years out of a cheap bed… maybe a little longer if you take good care of it (rotate it every six months, deep clean mattress once a year).

Cheap Mattress FAQs

Which mattress types are more expensive than others?

Foam mattresses tend to be cheaper than innerspring or hybrid mattresses because the materials are cheaper to make. Hybrid mattresses are made with steel coils, while foam beds are made from soft foam materials. Memory foam and polyurethane foam are among the most affordable types of foam, while latex foam tends to be the most expensive — especially if it’s natural or organic.

What are the best budget mattress brands?

You can find a quality cheap mattress that should last you five years or more from these brands:

Allswell
Tuft and Needle
Casper
Brooklyn Bedding
Bear

Are cheap mattresses worth it?

If you aren’t expecting extreme durability and longevity, a cheap mattress may be a good option. Cheap mattresses are ideal for young children or professionals looking to save money. They also work well for guest bedrooms, college dorm rooms and first-time apartments. However, if you want to invest in your sleep and keep your mattress for more than five years, you may want to save up a little more.

When is the best time to buy a mattress?

Online brands usually run discounts at all times of the year, but you’ll walk away with the best deals around key holidays like Labor Day, the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Black Friday and Christmas.

What are the best budget mattress brands?

You’ll find the best budget mattresses from Lucid, Zinus, Allswell, Bear, Tuft and Needle, Casper and Cocoon. In addition, Brooklyn Bedding mattresses aren’t considered cheap, but they offer a great bang for your buck.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.