Finding a quality mattress that doesn’t require a significant financial investment is a common goal for many shoppers. The good news is that the market is filled with excellent options that provide the comfort, support, and cooling features you need for a restful night’s sleep, all while staying within a modest budget. You no longer have to sacrifice quality for affordability.
This roundup focuses on the best mattresses available for under $500, carefully selected to suit a variety of preferences. Whether you prioritize pressure relief, temperature regulation, or firm support, there is a model here designed to meet your needs and help you wake up feeling refreshed and free from aches.
The Best Budget Mattresses for a Restful Night’s Sleep
- Cool Gel Twin XL 8 Inch Memory Foam Mattress
- Olee Sleep 10 Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress
- ZINUS 12 Inch Queen Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress
- Lucid 10 Inch Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress
- Classic Brands Cool Gel 10-Inch Memory Foam Mattress
- Tuft & Needle Original Queen Adaptive Foam Mattress
- ZINUS 12 Inch Ultima Memory Foam Mattress
- Vibe 12-Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress
- Sleep Innovations Marley 10 Inch Cooling Gel Mattress
- Olee Sleep 10 Inch Galaxy Hybrid Mattress
Cool Gel Twin XL 8 Inch Memory Foam Mattress
This 8-inch memory foam mattress is designed for ergonomic support and comfort. Its construction includes a high-density foam base and a breathable comfort foam layer that adapts to your body, working to evenly distribute weight and reduce pressure points for enhanced relaxation.
The medium-firm feel offers high-density support that cradles pressure points and promotes proper spinal alignment, making it a good fit for back, side, and stomach sleepers. A key feature is its breathable, open-cell design, which enhances airflow and heat dissipation to help prevent overheating throughout the night.
Olee Sleep 10 Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress
The Olee Sleep mattress uses a multi-layer design to provide a balanced sleep experience. Its four layers include cooling gel memory foam, high-density foam, and a convoluted high-density foam layer, all working together to offer both comfort and sturdy support.
Temperature regulation is a primary benefit of this model. The cooling gel memory foam is engineered to disperse body heat and help maintain a pleasant sleeping temperature. This makes it a strong option for those who tend to sleep warm and are looking for a cool, comfortable night’s rest.
ZINUS 12 Inch Queen Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress
This ZINUS mattress combines comfort with environmental consideration. It features patented zoned pressure relief technology designed to help reduce aches and pains, and it ships in a smaller box to reduce its carbon footprint.
The pressure-relieving memory foam conforms to your body’s shape to enhance circulation and decrease stress on joints. For long-term freshness, the foam is infused with all-natural green tea and purified charcoal, which work together to help keep the mattress feeling fresh night after night.
Lucid 10 Inch Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress
Arriving compressed in a box for easy setup, the Lucid mattress expands to its full 10-inch size within 24-48 hours. It is infused with both cooling gel and bamboo charcoal, targeting two common concerns: temperature and odor.
The cooling gel infusion helps regulate temperature for a cooler sleep, while the bamboo charcoal works to capture and neutralize odors. Layers of comfort foam and memory foam contour to your body’s shape, promoting spinal alignment and providing pressure-relieving comfort throughout the night.
Classic Brands Cool Gel 10-Inch Memory Foam Mattress
Designed with ergonomic support in mind, this mattress features a high-density foam base and a breathable comfort foam layer. This construction allows the mattress to adapt to your body, offering superior support by evenly distributing weight and reducing pressure points.
Its medium-firm support is engineered to cradle pressure points and promote spinal alignment, which can help reduce discomfort for back, side, and stomach sleepers. The ventilated, open-cell structure enhances airflow and heat dissipation, ensuring a cool and comfortable sleeping environment.
Tuft & Needle Original Queen Adaptive Foam Mattress
The Tuft & Needle Original mattress features a medium feel designed for all sleeping positions. It is constructed with innovative T&N Adaptive foam, which is a breathable, open-cell foam infused with cooling gel and graphite to help wick heat away from the body.
This mattress provides responsive comfort, as the T&N Flex foam firms up the deeper you settle in, offering support unique to your body weight. The ventilated T&N Release foam enhances pressure relief, while the overall design provides contouring support and a responsive bounce-back feel.
ZINUS 12 Inch Ultima Memory Foam Mattress
This ZINUS Ultima mattress offers a fusion of rejuvenating memory foam with a medium firm feel for comfort throughout the night. Like its counterpart, it ships in a new, smaller box to help reduce the product’s carbon footprint.
It provides comfortable support through pressure-relieving memory foam that conforms to your body’s shape. The 7-zone comfort system is designed to help relieve stress on your joints. For freshness, it also includes all-natural green tea and purified charcoal infusions.
Vibe 12-Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress
The Vibe mattress is a 12-inch, all-foam bed that offers great support and cooling comfort. It features porous, open-cell memory foam that is CertiPUR-US certified, ensuring it meets standards for performance, emissions, and durability.
Setup is straightforward; the mattress arrives in a box and simply needs to be unboxed to decompress. It includes two memory foam layers: a top layer of gel memory foam for cooling and a lower comfort memory foam layer, together providing advanced cooling technology and pressure-relieving comfort.
Sleep Innovations Marley 10 Inch Cooling Gel Mattress
This full-size mattress from Sleep Innovations features a triple-layer design with a soft knit cover. It provides medium firm support and comforting pressure relief, making it suitable for sleepers in any position—stomach, back, or side.
Cooling comfort is a highlight, achieved through cooling gel memory foam and a built-in airflow channel that enhances breathability. This design helps promote a cool and deep sleep. The durable, high-quality materials are designed to hold their shape over time and provide effective motion isolation.
Olee Sleep 10 Inch Galaxy Hybrid Mattress
The Olee Sleep Galaxy Hybrid Mattress combines different materials to create a supportive sleep surface. As a hybrid, it typically includes both foam and innerspring components, aiming to offer the contouring of foam with the responsive support of springs.
This type of construction can provide a balanced feel, with good edge support and temperature regulation due to increased airflow. It is a solid choice for those looking for the benefits of a hybrid design—such as reduced motion transfer and durable support—within an affordable price range.
Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Mattress Under $500
Finding a great mattress for under $500 is totally possible, but you need to know what to look for. I’ve spent a lot of time testing and researching budget beds, and the key is understanding the trade-offs. You won’t get the same high-end materials as a $2,000 model, but you can absolutely find a mattress that offers solid comfort and support for a good night’s sleep.
First, let’s talk about mattress types. In this price range, you’ll mostly see all-foam and hybrid models. All-foam mattresses are typically the most affordable. They use layers of memory foam and poly-foam to provide contouring pressure relief. They’re a fantastic choice if you sleep hot but still want that cozy, hugged feeling. Hybrid mattresses include a layer of steel coils, usually pocketed coils, which add more bounce and airflow. If you tend to sleep hot or need a firmer, more supportive feel, a hybrid is often your best bet.
Next up is firmness. This is super personal. Side sleepers usually need a softer mattress to cushion their shoulders and hips. Back and stomach sleepers generally need a medium-firm to firm feel to keep their spine aligned. Most budget mattresses fall in the medium-firm range because it’s a safe, one-size-fits-most option. Be sure to check the company’s firmness scale on their website.
Don’t forget to check the trial period and warranty. This is a huge advantage of buying online. Most brands offer at least a 100-night trial, which lets you sleep on the mattress at home and return it for a full refund if it’s not working out. Warranties for budget mattresses are often 10 years, which protects you against major defects like sagging. Just read the fine print on what constitutes a valid claim.
Finally, consider the feel you’re after. Do you like the slow-sinking, contouring feel of memory foam, or the bouncier, more responsive feel of coils? Reading customer reviews can give you a real sense of what the mattress feels like in everyday use. By focusing on these factors—type, firmness, sleep trial, and desired feel—you can confidently navigate the market and find one of the best mattresses under $500 that fits your specific needs.
FAQ
Can I really get a good quality mattress for under $500?
Absolutely. While you’re not going to find ultra-premium, handcrafted materials, the direct-to-consumer model has made quality mattresses under $500 a reality. Brands cut out the middleman (the physical store markup) and use efficient materials like poly-foam and pocketed coils to create supportive and comfortable beds that are perfect for budget-conscious shoppers or for a guest room.
What is the most common type of mattress in this price range?
All-foam mattresses are the most common because they are cost-effective to produce and ship. However, you can also find a surprising number of hybrid mattresses under $500. These hybrids often use a thinner layer of foam on top of an innerspring coil system, providing more bounce and breathability than an all-foam model at a similar price point.
Are there any hidden costs I should know about?
Most online brands include free shipping and returns in their price, which is a massive savings. However, some companies might charge a fee for returns, often called a restocking or pickup fee, if you decide to use the sleep trial. Always read the return policy details before you buy. The mattress itself is often the only cost, making your search for the best mattresses under $500 straightforward.
How long will a budget mattress typically last?
A well-cared-for mattress in this price range should last between 5 to 7 years. This is slightly less than the 7-10 year average for higher-end models. The longevity often depends on the density of the foams used. To extend its life, I recommend using a supportive foundation and rotating the mattress head-to-foot every 3-6 months.
Is a firm mattress always better for back pain?
Not necessarily. This is a common myth. The best mattress for back pain is one that keeps your spine in a neutral alignment. A mattress that is too firm can create pressure points on your shoulders and hips, actually throwing your spine out of line. A medium-firm mattress is often the best starting point, as it provides a balance of support and contouring.