The 10 Best Mattresses for the Money—Including a $999 Queen Bed

A new mattress is an investment in your health, but you don’t need to break the bank to get quality sleep. When it comes to spending your own hard-earned cash, you want to make sure you’re getting the best mattress for the money. Online you’ll find dozens of affordable beds that provide the support and comfort you need to rest easy night after night.

In search of high-quality and budget-friendly options, the experts at Mattress Advisor tested and reviewed hundreds of beds under $1,700 to determine which ones are actually worth buying. They assigned a score to each mattress using a 14-point methodology that includes categories such as durability, spine alignment, and cooling. Here are their top 10 picks.

Tips for Finding the Best Mattress for Your Money

Buy Online

When you purchase a mattress in-store, you tend to pay for more than just the bed itself. A portion of the price often goes towards extraneous things like marketing and overhead. On the flip side, bed-in-a-box companies sell directly to customers, cutting out the middleman to keep more money in your pocket.

Shop Seasonal Sales

Mattress companies are known to offer serious discounts and product freebies during holidays like President's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. The best part is that most of these sales last for a full week or weekend rather than just 24 hours.

Check Trial Periods and Warranties

Both in-store and bed-in-a-box mattresses come with generous warranties, which can save you money if you run into issues with your bed. Mattress companies also offer free sleep trials, allowing you to try out the mattress for a number of nights (typically 100 or more) before committing. If you decide it's not the right fit, you can return it for a full refund.

How Long Does a Mattress Last?

A good mattress can last seven to 10 years if you take care of it. You can extend a bed's lifespan by using a mattress protector, which guards against stains. Durable materials like steel coils and high-density memory foam resist sagging and degradation, helping your mattress keep its shape and withstand the wear and tear of nightly use.

Best Mattress Type for the Money

Innerspring

If your budget is tight, consider an innerspring mattress. It's typically the most inexpensive type of bed, containing coils topped with a thin layer of foam to provide lasting support.

Memory Foam

Memory foam is known for its body-hugging comfort, and while some models cost a pretty penny, you can find others priced at under $1,000. Memory foam mattresses are great at isolating motion, which allows couples or pet owners to remain undisturbed if their companion (human or animal) frequently tosses and turns during the night.

Hybrid

Hybrid beds combine two or more mattress materials (usually foam and coils) for a wider range of sleep benefits, such as balancing the comfort of foam with the spinal support of innerspring coils. This mix often makes hybrids more durable than other types of bed, but it also drives up the price.

Latex

Latex mattresses are more buoyant than memory foam beds, but provide the same level of contouring and pressure relief. They also tend to be the most expensive kind of mattress because they're extremely durable and can last a long time.

The 10 Best Mattresses for the Money