The 12 Best Mattresses Under $500 of 2026

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Yes, you can get a comfortable and supportive mattress without spending a fortune

Olivia is a writer and content creator that has written about a wide range of subjects, including health, beauty, relationships, culture, and music. When she's not working, you can find her perusing coffee shops, reading, or catching up on reality TV.

Lowest Price in 30 Days: Zinus 12 Inch Queen Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress (21% off)

Your mattress is one of the biggest purchases you’ll make for your home. It’s said that you spend nearly a third of your life asleep (or trying to be), so you want to make sure that whichever mattress you choose, it’s the best quality possible.

Finding the right mattress can be overwhelming, especially on a tight budget. But believe it or not, you can find quality mattresses under $500 if you know where to look. We researched and tested several mattresses to find the best in comfort, support, and value.

Keep reading to find the best fit for you.

Tester reported reduced back and hip pain

High-quality memory foam makes for even pressure distribution

This mattress from Zinus is made of high-quality memory foam at an affordable price. It arrived compressed for easy delivery and unboxing, inflated quickly, and left no chemical odors after setup. At first, it felt a bit too firm to the touch, but as soon as you lie on it, you get that plush, cradled feeling that keeps you comfortable and supported.

Our tester, who has a history of back and hip issues, tossed and turned less and had decreased pain in the morning. The firmness of this middle-of-the-road mattress allows for even pressure distribution, making it a safe bet for a wide range of sleepers.

Memory foam provides good spine alignment

Tester reported noticeably reduced tossing and turning

Cooling technology doesn’t work as advertised

This memory foam mattress is a great value. It’s supportive, easy to assemble, and affordable. Inflating to its full size in under a minute, it’s firm and provides good joint support and spine alignment. Our tester still woke up from time to time when sleeping on this mattress, but experienced much less tossing and turning throughout the night. They felt they slept better and woke up with less discomfort in the morning.

Like many “cooling” mattresses we tested, this didn’t have a noticeable cooling effect. Our tester actually ran hot throughout the night. However, given the extremely affordable price, high-quality memory foam, and ease of setup, we find this one worth the purchase.

Tester noticed reduction in pain and discomfort

Holds coolness on the surface to minimize overheating

Low profile, which could present a problem for those with headboards

This bed-in-a-box from Tuft & Needle quickly expands to full size and feels cool to the touch. Our tester loved how cool the bed stayed throughout the night. They reported some neck discomfort but quickly adapted, noting decreased upper-body pain and less tossing and turning. After returning their older, softer mattress, our tester missed this one’s firmness and felt their sleep quality decline.

After unpacking the mattress, there was a chemical odor, which dissipated after about a day. Its lower profile may also leave a gap between the mattress and headboard, which could be an issue for some.

One of the highest-rated options on our list

Gel-infused foam helps pull heat away from the body

Medium-firm feel works for back and side sleepers

If you want classic memory foam without any guesswork, this Vibe mattress is the safe bet. Three foam layers, including a gel-infused top, give you the slow, sink-in feel memory foam is known for while running a little cooler. It has a medium-firm feel that suits back and side sleepers alike. And with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from more than 51,000 Amazon reviews, we feel confident recommending this mattress.

Pocketed coils offer more bounce and edge support

Heavier and harder to move than all-foam picks

Hybrid mattresses can be pricey, but Zinus keeps this one comfortably under budget, even in a king size. The pocketed coils give it more bounce and edge support than an all-foam mattress, while the foam top layer adds cushioning for your hips and helps reduce motion transfer.

Reviewers give it an average rating of 4.2 stars across nearly 4,900 Amazon reviews. Just note that the coils make it heavier, so you’ll probably want help moving it.

Pillow top feels noticeably cool to the touch

Coil base keeps air moving through the mattress

Seven different support zones keep you comfy

Most budget mattresses promise cooling and don’t deliver, but Sweetnight’s CoolNest has a cool-to-the-touch pillow top and a coil base that lets air circulate, so heat has somewhere to go. Seven support zones feel firmer under your hips and softer under your shoulders, helping keep your body supported without feeling too stiff. It’s one of the pricier picks on our list, but if you run hot at night, it’s the one to try.

Plush with a hint of support for proper spine alignment

No chemical odors upon taking it out of packaging

On the softer side, so not ideal for back sleepers

Tester didn’t experience cooling benefits

Side sleepers often need a balance of plushness and support to sleep comfortably, and this mattress by Novilla Bliss won our vote. The gel memory foam cradles you just right while offering a hint of firmness that keeps you supported.

Our tester noticed they could adjust throughout the night without waking and felt more rested the next day. The mattress also did a good job of isolating another person’s movements, which is a huge perk if you share your bed.

Pocket springs plus foam offer more support

Available in twin through California king

Coolvie has built a loyal following on Amazon for hybrids that feel more supportive than their price suggests. Pocket springs give this 12-inch model a responsive, medium-firm feel, while the foam top layer adds cushioning and targeted lumbar and shoulder support that reviewers with back pain call out.

It’s also a king-size mattress that stays comfortably under $500.

Every mattress here is some variation of memory foam, either on its own or layered over coils in a hybrid. What separates them most is firmness, material, and break-in time.

Our team of testers tried six different mattresses under $500 for 1,345 hours. Testers had a wide variety of sleeping preferences and positions, and throughout the testing period, they evaluated their mattress based on unboxing, comfort, support, sleep quality, and value.

Some of the mattresses in this roundup were researched rather than tested. For those, we evaluated features, compared them against similar models, and analyzed hundreds of customer reviews to make sure they meet our standards.

Olivia Avitt is a contributor for PEOPLE who has covered a wide range of topics, from the best home products to wellness to art. She has written in-depth pieces, drawing on insights from our PEOPLE Tested team, on mattresses , cooling pillows , and protective mattress pads to keep your new mattress in tip-top shape. For this article, Olivia thoroughly researched and reviewed each mattress, along with insights from our team of testers, to deliver an informative piece on the best under-$500 picks to help you make the best purchase for your home.

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Source: Lifestyle