The 9 Best Mattresses You Can Get for Under $1,000
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
You know what hurts more than sleeping on a shitty, rock-hard mattress ? That you spent more than $1,000 on it. A good night's sleep doesn't have to cost you a fortune. Lucky for you, bedding brands have innovated materials, structural combinations, and cooling technologies to make a solidly good mattress that won't cost you more than $1,000 for a queen-sized mattress.
You don't have to go to budget brands to get something good—instead look for good brands offering sales and value options. Names you've heard of like Casper, Bear, and Serta are all on this list. It's worth pointing out some mattresses are perpetually on sale to make buyers feel like they are always getting a discount. So you might see an "original price" or two here that's more than $1,000, but the ongoing discounts keep the prices down. Many of the best mattress options ahead also have substantial trial periods for the noncommittal, and most offer a generous warranty if things go awry.
Some of the best mattresses under $1,000 are straightforward, cutting all frills in favor of a piece that delivers the necessities without compromising on comfort, be it via memory foam or spring coils. Here, we've included options of all types that keep the most important details for certain sleepers, like optimal firmness for side sleepers and back sleepers , cooling technology for hot sleepers , and minimal motion transfer for those who sleep next to a tosser-turner. For a good night's sleep under $1k, these are the best options—all queen-sized because you should love yourself as much as we do.
Serta Perfect Sleeper Innerspring Mattress
If you're a ride-or-die spring sleeper, Serta's mattress has done its innerspring mattress up in all of the latest elements that make it comfortable without ever feeling those coils. You can customize the level of support and the softness of the top layer. Standard support is cooling, enhanced support has added cooling tech, and ultimate support is indeed as supportive as it sounds. There are 12 softness levels for the tops to choose from medium to firm, ultra plush, and everywhere in between, with all of them falling under the $1,000 mark.
Casper The One
Casper brought beds-in-boxes to life, and this foam-heavy mattress delivers on easy, comfortable sleep. It uses Casper's signature breathable foam as the top layer, which is supported by some more cost-effective layers like the memory foam and core base. As far as predominantly foam mattresses go, this one is relatively cool. The soft knit cover makes it feel extra cozy.
Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress
Now, if you are
a back or stomach sleeper—or half of a couple that is one of the two—this Nectar mattress is a great option for supporting combination sleep. It has five layers, which add up to give solid support without pinching on joints: cooling cover, gel memory foam, transition layer, stability base, and shift-resistant lower cover. These gel layers keep you cooler than traditional memory foam, and they tend to last longer over time. The cooling cover feels perfectly comfy to climb on top of every night.
Bear Original
This mattress is designed to minimize motion transfer, making it a win for couples who tend to wake each other up in the night from tossing and turning. It's made of a few layers of foam with an innovative cooling gel memory foam layer that gives you some of that softness without trapping heat. But because of all that squishy layering, it's not as comfortable for stomach sleepers.
Silk & Snow Hybrid Mattress
Silk & Snow's mattress was built for back, stomach, and combination sleepers. This hybrid mattress is not playing with its hybridity, with a soft, high-density memory foam over 1,200 supportive pocketed coils (compared to a more standard 850). That means extra support and extra airflow under that memory foam. The construction of this mattress offers specific zoned support too, which is especially useful for those who sleep on (or get kicked to) the edge of the bed. For a less springy option or for the side sleepers among us, the brand also makes a plush option but it comes in at a bit over $1,000, even after the regular 15 percent discount.
Tuft & Needle Original Mattress
Tuft & Needle's Original Mattress is good for those who tend to sleep hot. This cooling mattress is topped with three inches of temperature-regulating adaptive foam, infused with ventilating cooling gel, and heat-conducting graphite. The memory foam will soften around you, but it's not so soft that you'll sink into it. Some reviewers noted the edge support—that is, how supportive the edge of the bed is—is not the sturdiest, making it a less optimal choice for those who sleep close to the edge.
Leesa Original Mattress
Leesa's Original Mattress is a no-brainer option for most sleepers—and a guest-room favorite. It comes in a box, so you'll have some work to do to let it inflate, and reviewers report a mix of off-gassing intensity. It's designed with a foam base, aerated foam layers, and an airy knit cover. However, a subset of reviewers report after around five years of good sleep, the bed began to sag. In that case, we recommend this specifically for rooms that aren't getting used every day (like a guest room) to maintain longevity.
Sealy Posturepedic Spring Mattress
Sealy's Posturepedic mattress is about making sure you wake up feeling ready to tackle the day ahead, no matter how you slept. For side sleepers, back sleepers, or anyone who needs core support overnight, Sealy uses spring coils and gel foam to make a responsive, springy mattress that keeps your body aligned overnight. It's a tall mattress that feels it too, so just know you won't be able to pair it with just a box spring.
Brooklyn Bedding CopperFlex
Hot sleepers don't need a fancy cooling layer or mattress topper. Sometimes, all it takes is perfect engineering and a special ingredient to keep you cool all night, every night. The CopperFlex memory foam mattress from Brooklyn Bedding infuses copper for its heat distribution and antimicrobial properties. The top is a pressure-relieving Quilt Foam that adapts to you over time, without ever sagging or giving too much. Five different layers of foam come together to give you the coolest night of sleep of your life.
Tips for Buying a Budget-Friendly Mattress
Sleeping Style:If you comb through any online mattress reviews, you'll likely see a range of contradicting opinions on the same mattress (too soft! too firm!). The key to navigating this is to know what your sleep looks like: side, back, stomach, or combination? Do you toss and turn? Then you'll need something with more bounce, less plush. Do you wake up your partner every night getting in and out of bed? Motion control should be your priority. The best mattress for your sleep is likely designed in sharp contrast to other sleeper types.
Materials:If you're new to the world of mattress materials, welcome. What you need to know up front is that memory foam—the classic, softest stuff—traps heat. That's why, first, so many of these mattresses have a combination of materials, and it's also why those textile innovations are so important. Latex, aerated, or otherwise cool-promoting memory foams are smart choices. And if you don't want to sink into a bed at all, make sure your materials include a layer of springs.
Longevity:The hard part about mattress shopping—and the great part of the internet—is that mattresses wear much differently. How it feels on the first few nights might, for better or worse, not be how it wears over time. Although we test as many of these mattresses as we can, sometimes sinking and sagging doesn't show up until a few years in. These tend to be the most useful reviewer comments—how long it lasts, rather than how soft or firm it feels.
You Might Also Like
