Best Mattress Under $1000
Our Top-Ranked Mattresses Under $1k For Every Size Bed [2024]
You need a new mattress, but you’ve lost all hope of getting one because of your budget. The showroom salesman probably told you that you couldn’t walk out the door without spending at least three times your budget, but guess what? Not all is lost.
The days of $10,000 mattresses are coming to an end. You can order online and receive a premium quality mattress for a budget that won’t collapse your entire saving account. Let’s take a look at a few options for you.
In This Article
What Can I Expect From A $1000 Mattress?
Ok, $1000 is a narrow budget, but there are still plenty of options for you. Are you set on getting a California King or will another size do? Do you experience allergies? Do you like all memory foam or hybrid mattresses?
If there’s wiggle room in some of your preferences, you’ll be able to find a mattress you love without necessarily going over budget. You can still find premium quality materials despite the budget.
Old styles of mattresses forced your body to conform to the bed rather than the other way around. Old memory foam styles solved this problem but were very expensive. Mattresses now have contouring and supporting layers that give you the best of both worlds.
Now that more mattress companies are operating outside of showrooms and selling directly to the consumer, it’s possible to find a budget mattress that hits most of your wants.
What Kinds Of Materials Do They Use?
Most of the materials are newer types of memory foams that are open cell and allow air to circulate more freely. Some have gel infusions for further cooling. This concept keeps your temperature regulated and redistributes heat further away from the mattress so that it doesn’t build up in the core.
Some mattresses use coils, but they’re individually pocketed to reduce motion transfer. Most of the coils are steel for durability. A few have the option of going high tech so that you can better track your sleep patterns and make healthy decisions.
Some use organic materials which can be good if you suffer from allergies. They’re better for the environment and less toxic to breathe in.
What’s More Affordable: Memory Foam Or Innerspring?
It depends a lot on the mattress company, to be honest. Mattress-in-a-box companies are able to compress both types of mattresses, so it’s easier to find budget models in both styles. Instead of strictly looking at materials, there are a few other factors that go into pricing.
- Distribution: If a mattress company doesn’t rely on third-party retailers, there aren’t any mattress markups that mess with your budget. You can find more affordable mattresses by cutting out the middleman altogether.
- Factory rights: If the company owns their factories and doesn’t have to outsource, this can also help reduce the overall price of the mattress. Some companies get around this by outsourcing to other companies, but we don’t always find this a reliable indicator of quality.
- Minimum price points: Most of the mattress in a box companies operate at the lowest price they can to give the consumer better deals. If they use third-party retailers, the price is often decided by the retailer, giving you more negotiating room. However, if the company has an agreement with the retailer that they won’t sell lower than a certain amount, that might interfere with your budget.
What’s More Important: Size Or Features?
If you’re upgrading to a king size bed, you might have a harder time hitting that $1000 and under mark. Consider the reasons you’re upgrading to a size like that.
If you hate when your partner’s motions wake you up in the middle of the night, you may not need to upgrade to a wider mattress. If the bed still has a lot of motion transfer, it won’t matter how big it is. You’re still going to get woken up by movement.
Instead, look for a mattress that has excellent motion isolation. That solves your problem and saves you a few hundred dollars.
If there’s a sweet spot in the middle of the mattress, you may need better edge support as well. A bed with reinforced edges lets you use every inch of the mattress. Again, smaller mattress and more money saved.
If you do need the king size for purely height reasons, then all isn’t lost. There are plenty of companies that offer affordable king sizes that come in a box. You might not get the highest tech or the most layers, but they’re premium quality mattresses.
We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorites to give you a head start in finding your perfect mattress. They’re arranged by size and our overall top pick. Let’s find your new mattress.
Top 6 Recommended Mattresses Under $1000
Nectar Mattress
Nectar is part of the mattress revolution. They’ve managed to create a quality mattress that solves a lot of your sleep issues and is universally comfortable for less than $1000 for all sizes. Yep. All sizes.
Nectar is a memory foam mattress that uses adaptive layers and comes with a full year sleep trial. You have 365 days to give the bed a go without suffering any penalties if you return it. Once you’ve given it about 30 days to break in and for your body to adjust, if you hate it, they’ll pick it up free of charge and refund your money.
It also has a lifetime warranty to protect you against mattress defects. They’ll replace or repair a defective mattress as long as it’s been appropriately supported.
The mattress comes compressed in a box right to your door. Once you tear the plastic away, it reinflates and is ready in a few hours.
Our Top Pick
Nectar’s single mattress style uses a Tencel cover material that’s more cooling than cotton. It’s ultra-breathable and stretchy, so it wicks heat away from your body. The first two layers are quilted and gel memory foam to redistribute heat efficiently and return the mattress to the ambient temperature of the room.
The next two layers are dense support foams that push back against your body and prevent your spine from overextending. The core is structurally sound, and the mattress has good edge support. All the materials are certified as eco-friendly by CertiPur-US.
Great For: Combination Support And Position Changers
If you sleep in multiple positions throughout the night, Nectar is a good mattress. It’s medium firm, so there’s plenty of support for back and stomach sleepers, but the pressure relief is excellent for side sleepers. Also, it’s good if partners have different preferences and don’t want to compromise comfort.
Nuvanna Mattress
Nuvanna’s mission is to improve the quality of communities by starting with individual health. They believe that if people in the community are able to get a quality night’s sleep, they’re better equipped to live life to the fullest and contribute.
Their materials are eco-friendly and non-toxic memory foam. The company offers 100 nights for you to sleep on the mattress and decide if you like it. Once you’ve slept on it for a few weeks, your body will adjust, and you’re better able to determine if it’s right for you. If it isn’t, they’ll pick it up and refund your money.
You’re also covered by a 10-year warranty against mattress defects. If your mattress is adequately supported, they’ll replace a mattress that shows wear and tear outside the normal range of what’s covered.
Best Cal King Mattress Under $1000
Nuvanna’s mattress uses three layers of memory foam. The first layer is contouring and uses phase changing particles to redistribute heat away from the body. The middle layer absorbs motion and begins to provide support for your spine and joints.
The bottom layer is a dense support foam that responds to your weight and keeps your spine aligned. It also gives the mattress structural integrity and excellent edge support so you can use every inch of the mattress.
Great For: Allergy Sufferers
The all foam core of the mattress is dust mite resistant and doesn’t produce any harmful off-gassing. If you have trouble with respiratory allergies, this mattress might help alleviate some of those issues.
Layla Mattress
Layla’s flippable mattress is an all memory foam mattress with infused copper. Copper is thought to be healing in addition to providing cooling properties.
Layla offers a 120-night sleep trial so you can figure out if it’s right for you. Once you sleep on the mattress for a few weeks, your body adjusts, and you’re better able to make a decision. They also have a lifetime warranty against mattress defects. Make sure the mattress is properly supported, so you don’t accidentally void the warranty.
Best King Mattress Under $1000
Layla’s layers are breathable memory foam. Old styles of memory foam were super hot, but Layla’s layers prevent heat from building up in the mattress. Since it’s flippable, there are two copper infused layers on the bottom and the top. In between is convoluted support foam on the soft side and dense based foam on the firm side.
The soft side has the convoluted foam closer to your body so that you get more sinkage. The firm side has the dense support foam closer to your body so that it feels more firm.
Great For: Couples Who Aren’t Sure What Firmness To Get
This way, you get two choices with one mattress. If you find your sleep needs change in the future, you have options.
Muse
Muse offers you three different mattress firmness options with their bed in a box solution. This is unusual for this type of company. The company has a soft, medium, and firm choice with their memory foam line.
You have 120 nights to try the mattress out. Try to sleep on it for a few weeks at least so that it breaks in and you have a chance to adjust. If you still don’t find it helpful, you can return it for a full refund.
You’re also protected by a ten-year limited warranty for mattress defects.
Best Queen Mattress Under $1000
Muse’s mattress uses three layers of foam covered with phase change material that wicks heat away from the body and prevents it from building up. The first layer is temperature regulating gel foam that stays cool to the touch and conforms to your body’s natural curves.
The next two layers are support foam. One is transitional and determines the firmness of your mattress. The bottom layer is a dense foam that provides structural support and edge support for the entire bed.
Great For: Hot Sleepers And Motion Isolation For Couples
The bed is very good at regulating temperature and reducing motion transfer down to nothing. It’s good for couples who can’t stand sleeping hot or toss and turn.
Solay
Solay uses cooling technology to keep their memory foam from gathering and storing heat in the core of the mattress. Solay uses clean materials, and the mattress comes compressed in a box right to your front door.
You have 101 nights to try the mattress out before deciding if you want to keep it. Try to sleep on the mattress for at least 30 nights, but after that, if you don’t want it, they’ll pick it up free of charge and issue you a refund.
You’re also protected by a 15-year warranty against mattress defects. As long as your mattress has been appropriately supported so that you don’t accidentally void the warranty, you should be covered against any abnormal wear and tear.
Best Full Mattress Under $1000
Solay uses Tencel cover material with a layer of cooling, contouring foam to keep your temperature comfortable. Underneath is a layer of motion reducing foam that gently transitions your body to the support layers underneath.
Pocketed micro coils make up the bulk of support and provide structural integrity to the mattress. It has excellent edge support and ensures there’s no sweet spot in the mattress. The coils are sandwiched between two layers of further support foam so that you don’t get a lot of motion transfer.
Great For: Hybrid Mattress Lovers And Responsive Support For Back Sleepers
If you love the feeling of coils but don’t want to give up your foam contouring, this one is for you. Also, if you’re a back sleeper, the support of the coils is perfect for decompressing the spine.
Ghostbed
Ghostbed aims to be the most cooling mattress you’ve ever had, and they might be right. It uses layers of foam for contouring and support but adds cooling “ice” layers so that heat doesn’t build up in the core of the mattress.
Once your mattress arrives, allow it to reinflate, and you’ve got 101 nights to try things out. If you don’t like it, you can return it for a full refund at no charge to you. You’re also protected by a 25-year limited warranty for mattress defects.
One great feature of Ghostbed is that it’s rated for heavier than average weights. If you’re heavier than average, that means you won’t lose any of the contouring or supporting benefits. With other mattresses, your weight will interact with the support layers much more quickly, and you’ll lose the contouring benefits. The bed will feel more firm than it’s rating, which may be uncomfortable if it isn’t what you’re expecting. With the Ghostbed, you should be okay.
Best Twin Mattress Under $1000
The Ghostbed Luxe is a super soft yet supportive mattress that has extra layers of cooling foam to be the most cooling bed on the market. We tend to believe them. The Luxe uses four different layers, all with either ice fabric or phase change technology so that heat never builds up and you sleep ultra cool.
It’s rated medium firm, so it should be universally comfortable for most sleepers. It’s suitable for most sleep positions and will be a really premium twin.
Great For: Hot Sleepers Or Heavier Than Average People
If you tend to sleep really hot, you’ll have a much easier time with the Ghostbed Luxe. If you’re a heavier sleeper, you’ll be able to have a smaller mattress without losing any of the support or creating a more significant than average dip.
Our Thoughts
Getting a mattress under $1000 isn’t a lost cause. Now that mattress companies have moved online, you don’t have to pay retail markups or settle for a smaller mattress than what you want just to stay under budget.
Consider just how much mattress you need because size isn’t everything. Beds that have excellent temperature regulation, motion isolation, and edge support can often solve some of the problems you may be having with your current mattress without you having to upgrade to a larger size. However, if you do need a larger size, you now have some affordable options that don’t force you to compromise too many of your needs.
Ultimately, the disruption of the mattress industry is going to bode well for your wallet. You can get premium materials and better construction than you could a generation ago without going over budget.
What’s your absolute must-have for a mattress? Size or another feature? Let us know in the comments below.