Best Mattress Under $2000
6 Quality Mattresses Under $2k for Popular Bed Sizes [2024]
Tony Santino – Head of Testing
with support from the Sleep Report Editorial Team
Our sleep reports are developed through hands-on trials by product experts with in-depth knowledge. We regularly amend recommendations when new products are released, specs are changed, or prices are updated.
Upgrading a mattress used to mean dropping thousands of dollars for a bed you tried once in a showroom and were pressured into buying before you left. Not anymore. Mattress companies have stepped up their game, and now you can get a hotel quality mattress for $2000 or less. Don’t believe us? Just wait.
In This Article
What Can I Expect from A Mattress Under $2000?
Turns out, you can expect a lot. Many mattress companies have begun dropping the middleman and selling directly to the consumer. If you’re in the market for a twin mattress, this may not register much for you. If you’re looking for a California King, the situation has improved a lot.
Old mattresses were primarily single layers of coils that forced your body to conform to the bed’s shape rather than the other way around. If you wanted any transition layers, you were stuck with a European pillow top that added another grand on top of the price (at least).
Along came memory foam. It used layers that gave way under your pressure points, so you weren’t sleeping in a weird compressed line on top of the mattress, but those were hot. They gave you the feeling that you were sleeping in quicksand. Here’s the thing: they weren’t any more affordable than conventional mattresses.
Thankfully, we understand a bit more about how the human body sleeps. Mattresses today use a combination of layers to contour to your shape through the top layers and provide support underneath, so your spine doesn’t overextend. Some have just a handful of these two categories of layers while others are more elaborate (DreamCloud, we’re looking at you).
Best Mattress Under $2000
| Rank | Brand | Price | Rating |
| Overall Winner |
 | Under $1500 $200 OFF CODE SLEEPGUIDE |
A+
|
| Best Cal King |
 | Around $1600 |
A+
|
| Best King Size |
 | Around $1400 |
A
|
| Best Queen Size |
 | Around $1600 |
A
|
| Best Full Size |
 | Around $1700 |
A+
|
| Best Twin Size |
 | Around $1200 |
A+
|
What Kind Of Materials Do They Use?
If you’re going with a showroom mattress, $2000 and under gets you pretty basic materials. There’s old style memory foam with a few open cells for breathability but not much else. The springs are probably steel, which is very durable, but they may or may not be individually pocketed. The cover materials are most likely a blend of cotton or polyester for breathability.
It’ll be a durable, well-made mattress, but nothing to blow you away.
Some of the newer mattress companies have managed to get their mattresses under that $2000 mark while using more premium materials. We have a few beds on the list that use all organic materials such as Talalay latex, cashmere blend cover materials, and gel-infused foams with Japanese cooling technology.
A few of them have the option to go high tech to help you keep track of your sleep patterns. These mattresses can give you valuable information about your sleep and health so you can make changes if you need to.
Which Is More Affordable: Memory Foam Or Innerspring?
Honestly, this question depends a lot on the company and the materials themselves. Traditional memory foam companies such as Tempurpedic have some costly options, just like conventional innerspring options.
When you look at the price point, you need to consider a few things
- How does the company distribute mattresses? If they use mostly third party retailers with brick and mortar showrooms, they probably have a higher price point. Mattress retailers have to buy the mattresses wholesale and mark them up to make any sort of profit. If the company sells directly to the consumer, there’s no middleman markup.
- Is there a minimum price point? Going with the first question, you can often negotiate a better deal because the price is up to the retailer. However, some companies prevent retailers from selling a mattress lower than a certain amount. You won’t be able to negotiate a price any lower than this.
- Do they own their factories and distribution centers? Where are they located? Direct to consumer companies that own their factories can give you better deals than those who have to outsource. Some companies make up this difference by outsourcing overseas. While this sometimes makes a difference, it can be harder to figure out what exactly you’re getting.
What Size Can I Afford?
Do you really need that California king? If you’re upgrading to the largest size available or to anon standard size like a California Queen, you’re going to pay a little more.
Ask yourself the real reasons you’re upgrading to a large mattress. For example, is it because your partner’s movements jiggle you awake each time? In that case, you don’t need a larger mattress. You need a bed with better motion isolation. Going down to a queen size and fixing the motion issue can shave a few hundred dollars off your cost (on average).
If you need the king or California king, looking to online retailers can help you stay under your budget. Many of them have generous shipping and trial period offers, so you won’t be stuck with a mattress that you don’t like and couldn’t test out in the showroom.
Where Do I Start?
We’ve put together a list of our favorite mattresses under $2000 in a range of sizes to help get you started on a better night’s sleep. We’ve arranged them based on size and our overall top pick. Let’s take a look.
Top 6 Recommended Mattresses Under $2000
| Rank | Brand | Price | Rating |
| Overall Winner |
| Under $1500 $200 OFF CODE SLEEPGUIDE |
A+
|
| Best Cal King |
| Around $1600 |
A+
|
| Best King Size |
| Around $1400 |
A
|
| Best Queen Size |
| Around $1600 |
A
|
| Best Full Size |
| Around $1700 |
A+
|
| Best Twin Size |
| Around $1200 |
A+
|
DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid Mattres Buy Online
DreamCloud is part of the online mattress revolution. The founders were sick of retail markups and dizzying showrooms, so they decided to make their own luxury mattress and sell direct-to-consumer.
Their research paid off. They have only one mattress, but it’s a hybrid mattress that uses both foam and coils plus a European style pillow top. It feels soft but still firm. It should give couples the chance to come to an agreement on which type of mattress to buy without either sacrificing too many personal preferences.
If buying a mattress online makes you nervous, DreamCloud has an extra generous sleep trial. You have the bed for up to 365 nights to decide if it’s the right one for you. It’s essential that you allow enough time for your body to adjust and former aches to fade before you decide. If you end up deciding against it, just return it at no cost to you and get a full refund.
DreamCloud also has a generous prorated lifetime warranty. The first ten years, your mattress is protected from defects with a full replacement warranty. After ten, the company decides if they’ll replace it or repair and recover it.
They also allow you one cleaning during the first year, and then one more during the lifetime of the mattress. This policy keeps your mattress fresh even after you’ve had it for many years.
Our Top Pick
Their only mattress uses eight different layers to contour and support. Old style mattresses weren’t very good at contouring to your body and caused more pain than they could help. DreamCloud’s mattress considers how the body sleeps and discourages position changing throughout the night.
The cover materials are a cashmere blend with a natural thistle flame retardant. It’s ultra soft and very breathable. The first two layers are contouring foam. One is gel infused for extra cooling, and the other is quilted for response and cushion.
The next two layers are denser transition foams. They begin to push back against your weight to keep your spine in line and transition your body to the actual support layers. Individually pocketed micro coils provide stability and responsiveness. Next, dense foam gives the mattress structural integrity and edge support.
Great For: Couples With Different Sleep Preferences
DreamCloud is a medium firm mattress, so it covers you if you have back pain or difficulty with your pressure points. The quilted layer feels like a European pillow top, so side sleepers or soft bed preferrers get that cushy feel while remaining supported.
The Solay Mattress Buy Online
Solay Mattresses are cooling and refreshing. They come compressed and delivered in a box. You don’t have to rearrange your entire day to be home for delivery. Just open the box, and gently tear the plastic away from the mattress to allow it to reinflate.
Solay gives you 101 nights to sleep on the mattress. You’ll have plenty of time to get an accurate picture of whether the mattress is genuinely solving your sleep issues. If you don’t feel any difference or don’t like it at all, you can return the mattress for free, and the company will give you a full refund.
Solay has a 15-year warranty against mattress defects. If your mattress is adequately supported, Solay will replace or repair any mattress that shows wear and tear that falls outside the normal range and is covered under warranty.
Best Cal King Mattress Under $2000
The Solay uses Tencel for cover material. This material is cooler than cotton and actively wicks away heat and moisture from your body for a more refreshing night’s sleep. Underneath is a layer of cooling foam that conforms to your body and continues to disperse heat. It quickly returns the surface to the ambient temperature of the room.
The next layer is motion reducing, contouring foam. It supports your curves and pressure points while providing a smooth surface. The support layers underneath are six-inch, pocketed micro coils sandwiched between two layers of dense support foam. Your spine stays aligned, and there’s no need to toss looking for a comfortable position.
Great For: Combination Support, All Sleep Positions, Hot Sleepers
The cooling layers do a great job of regulating temperature and moisture during the night. The medium firm mattress is universally comfortable and suitable for all types of sleep positions because of the foam layers.
Real Sleep by Real Simple Mattress Buy Online
Real Sleep is a product of one of our favorite magazines, Real Simple. The creators used the magazine’s aesthetic to create a simple, non-toxic mattress that prioritizes sleep experience and a straightforward buying experience.
Their mattress is all memory foam and comes with a 100-night sleep trial so you can figure out if its right for you. If you decide it isn’t (and try to give it a chance for at least 30 nights so that your body has time to adjust), just return it at no cost to you, and they’ll issue a full refund.
It also comes with a ten-year replacement warranty for mattress defects. As long as your mattress is fully supported, the company will replace any mattress that experiences any wear and tear outside the normal range for covered issues.
It’s compressed and arrives at your door without having to wait on a delivery person or sign for the package.
Best King Mattress Under $2000
Real Sleep uses just two simple layers to achieve contouring and support. The top layer is a FloraFlex foam that’s open cell and breathable. It draws heat away from your body and disperses it. It conforms to your curves and fills in any pressure point areas including the lower lumbar region.
The bottom layer is a dense support foam that pushes back against your body and prevents your spine from overextending. This layer gives it edge support. There’s nearly zero motion transfer, so you’ll be able to sleep even with a restless partner.
Great For: Memory Foam Lovers And Restless Sleepers
Memory foam prevents motion from transferring to all parts of the mattress. If you have a particularly circus-like sleep pattern, your partner may appreciate not getting jostled awake every few minutes.
The Purple 4 Mattress Buy Online
Purple was founded by an actual rocket scientist who was sick of a mattress he thought would help and didn’t. He figured out how to solve one of the most significant mattress problems around, pressure relief, and got to work. The result is one of the best mattresses for pressure relief we’ve ever seen. It comes compressed and packed into a box. You don’t have to sign or schedule a delivery time.
You have 100 nights to try out the mattress before making your final decision. The company asks that you spend at least 30 nights on the bed to allow your body to adjust. If you decide it isn’t for you, the company will pick it up free of charge and issue a refund. You’re also covered by a ten-year replacement warranty that covers any mattress defects.
Best Queen Mattress Under $2000
The New Purple is a queen mattress with a two-inch layer proprietary grid layer that offers superior pressure relief, particularly for side sleepers. It really contours to your body but fills in any gaps. You should see nearly no compression in your shoulders or hips if you’re a side sleeper, but it’s firm enough to provide support for stomach and back sleepers.
It uses individually pocketed micro coils sandwiched between two layers of dense support foam. This combination supports you but reduces motion transfer. The reinforced sides give you edge support, so there’s no sweet spot in the middle of the mattress.
Great For All Sleep Positions But Particularly Side Sleepers
It has superior pressure relief for all positions, but we think if you’re exclusively a side sleeper, you’ll fall in love.
ZenHaven Latex Mattress Buy Online
Zenhaven is a branch of Saatva. It’s a complete Talalay latex mattress alternative to toxic memory foams. It uses eco-friendly materials and is great if you’ve got any respiratory allergies.
Zenhaven offers free white glove delivery, so you’ll have help setting up your mattress. You have 120 days to try out the bed to decide if you like it. If you don’t, they’ll pick the mattress up and donate it if possible.
You’re also covered under their 20-year warranty for mattress defects. They’ll replace any defective mattress for free if the defect is covered and the mattress has been adequately supported.
Best Full Mattress Under $2000
Zenhaven’s layers are non-toxic, organic materials designed to be friendlier on the environment and you. The top layer is breathable organic cotton with a flame retardant wool layer. Underneath is a zoned support latex layer that cradles your curves and allows your body to settle into the mattress.
Underneath is the latex core that provides support and is more responsive than traditional memory foam. It provides edge support and keeps your spine aligned. The mattress has no off-gassing and doesn’t come compressed so that the quality of the latex isn’t compromised.
Great for Allergy Sufferers
It uses natural materials in a non-toxic manufacturing process. If you frequently suffer from allergies, you may find this relieves some of them.
Tempur-pedic Prima Mattress Buy Online
Tempurpedic is the grandmother of all memory foam mattresses. It’s somewhat expensive, but if you’re investing in a twin mattress, the quality of Tempurpedic may be worth it. You can try them in showrooms or order online.
The trial periods and warranties depend on the distributor, but ordering from Tempurpedic gives you 90 nights to try the mattress plus a ten-year limited warranty against defects.
Best Twin Mattress Under $2000
The Tempur-Flex Prima adapts ultra fast to pressure points and is a little more responsive than some of their other memory foam lines. It has a smart climate system that prevents heat build-up in the core of the mattress. It uses pocketed coils for responsiveness, making it one of the more comfortable and supportive twins we’ve seen.
Great for Hot Sleepers
This line from Tempurpedic solves a lot of memory foam’s heat problems. The cooling layers really do redistribute heat away from the body.
Our Thoughts
$2000 isn’t a big budget in the world of traditional mattresses, but you can get a quality mattress at this price tier in multiple different sizes. Make sure that the bed aligns with your sleep preferences and issues, and you should get the best night’s sleep of your life.
What’s your mattress deal breaker? Let us know in the comments below.
