It’s one of the most expensive pieces of furniture you’ll buy for your home.
Mattresses are famously expensive yet highly necessary so when you need to buy a new model or replace one that’s on its last legs, there’s not much you can do but cough up.
Or so you’d think. While high-end mattresses can go for a couple of grand or more (see Vispring at Harrods for versions over the £10k mark), there are plenty of good-quality mattresses that don’t put such a burden on your credit card.
Cheaper mattresses may not have the same level of craftsmanship as their super luxe sisters, but you’ll probably sleep much better knowing you haven’t burned a hole in your finances. If you’re willing to accept a few compromises - think one less layer of memory foam or a touch fewer springs - there are plenty of new beds at bargain prices. Teamed with a decent mattress topper and bedding, few people will be able to tell the difference between a cheap bed and an uber-luxury one.
Whether you like the comfort of memory foam, prefer the support that springs offer, or like a Goldilocks-style mesh of the two with a hybrid mattress, there are budget-friendly options galore.
Another way to secure an expensive bed for less is to wait for a mattress sale - you can usually find them at the start or end of a season and around big holidays like Christmas and Easter. We’ve made them easier to find in our dedicated best mattress deals piece which is updated every month.
We’ve scouted the best budget beds under the £500 mark below.
Shop now
OTTY Aura Hybrid Mattress
With 70:30 ratio of foam to springs, Otty's Aura mattress strikes the right balance between comfort and support. The mattress arrives in a box, making it much easier to manoeuvre over to the bed frame before unrolling it over the slats. The thinner design, 27cm tall, means that it will be suitable for slatted designs but you won't feel a thing laying on it thanks to the 1000 pocket springs managing and distributing weight evenly. Delivery even includes the disposal of your old mattress, so there's nothing more to do than lay back and start dreaming.
Buy now £249.99, OTTY
Signature 2000 Pocket Sprung Pillow Top Natural Fillings Mattress - double
Type: pocket spring
This outrageously indulgent mattress feels as good as it looks. Offering medium to firm tension, the dreamy mattress has a plush padded pillow top for that cloud-like feel and is filled with natural fibres - wool, silk, cotton and cashmere - to help with temperature control and comfort. Standing 33cm high, keep it in peak performance by rotating it every six weeks. It weighs 27kg alone so one to pair with a tighter slat distribution for optimal comfort.
So delightful you’ll have real trouble getting out of bed in the mornings.
Buy now £279.99, Happy Beds
John Lewis Waitrose Wool NO. 1 Pocket Spring Mattress, Medium/Firm Tension, Double
Type: pocket spring
Sleeping Beauty may be just a fairytale, but when it comes to pocket spring mattresses, this one feels the fairest of them all. It is made from organic, natural materials and zero chemicals making it recyclable which is great news for anyone with landfill guilt (that’ll be all of us, then).
It’s pricey, yes, but that’s in part down to the excellent craftsmanship which includes hand-tufted fillings using British wool that can be traced back to Waitrose and Red Tractor-assured farms for total peace of mind. The mattress also uses a tightly coiled pocket spring system for greater comfort and support levels - so this 31.2kg bed will have you feeling like you’re sleeping on cloud nine every night.
This superior mattress offers a medium/firm level of tension and is best for back or side sleepers.
A seven-year guarantee comes part and parcel and the mattress is available in standard UK bed sizes.
Buy now £499.00, John Lewis
Dunelm Rolled Memory Foam 800 Pocket Sprung Mattress
Type: hybrid
A single-sided mattress with less maintenance required, this mattress is fitted with a layer of 800 pocket springs with memory foam on top for gentle moulding comfort as you sleep. The fillings are breathable, encouraging airflow, and there's a quilted top for added comfort once you slide between the sheets. It sits 18cm high and weighs 22kg, making it a fabulous option for a slatted bed base. Comes with a five-year guarantee.
Buy now £189.00, Dunelm
Ergoflex 5G Mattress
Giving hotel room beds a run for their money, Ergoflex makes some of the best mattresses in the biz.
Not to be confused with the cellular network, the 5G model combines a premium proprietary foam promising support and comfort “from head-to-toe”. The five layers each add an unmissable quality that relieves pressure on the body and encourages you to drift off into a sound slumber.
First and foremost, the Tencel outer cover works to protect the mattress itself but it does so much more. It has a vented construction at the ends with 3D mesh panels to disperse the heat so you won’t feel hot and bothered in the night. The top memory foam layer contours to your body but just the right amount so as not to affect your partner if you move around.
At the core, breathability is the utmost concern. At 9cm, the trademarked Cool-Sleep layer creates an airflow to stop the build up of heat. This is done through an open-cell memory foam that prevents the retention of hot air more efficiently than any previous model.
Ideal for aches and pains, the mattress has orthopaedic pressure-relief. It is also hypoallergenic and anti-microbial and there’s a 10-year warranty.
Buy now £483.00, Ergoflex
Silentnight Studio Gel Mattress
If right now, you are waking up more tired and restless than when you went to sleep, you’re doing something wrong. The Silentnight mattress is designed to turn that feeling on its head with a hybrid gel model that will leave you refreshed and revitalised.
The multi-layered construction includes a gel-infused filling that has a supportive body-shaping effect and gives the extra breathability that hot sleepers so desperately need. The 3cm layer has a cooling effect and increases airflow.
While it has a medium firmness, this gel gives the mattress a great bounce back quality and paired with the 1000 mirapocket springs, it feels supportive and responsive.
The top layer has a great skin-feel but more so, the cross-structure knitted design allows for more air spaces so it feels fresh with every turn.
The mattress arrives compactly rolled up and is entirely vegan.
Buy now £470.00, Argos
Emma Original Mattress - double
Leading bed brand Emma proves that you don't have to spend lots of money to have a comfortable and restorative sleep every night. The brand's Original mattress has been crafted from multiple layers of visco-elastic memory foam that supports and cushions as you move through the night.
It's finished with a machine washable cover to keep things hygienic and there are handles to help you manoeuvre it into position and rotate every so often. Best of all, every Emma mattress comes with a 100-night trial so you can return it for a full refund if you find it's not for you.
Buy now £386.40, Emma
Coolmax Superior Luxury Quilted Memory Foam Mattress
Here’s some good advice for anyone comparing the merits of memory foam mattresses: check the manufacturer’s product specifications to find out the depth of its memory foam layer. To ensure a comfy feel for all body types, you’ll generally need at least 4-5cm of memory foam.
Despite coming in at around half the price of many of the other options we’ve tested, this Coolmax mattress has one of thickest memory foam layers of all: 7cm. This would make it an ideal choice for those who enjoy the sensation of sinking deep into their mattress.
As its name would suggest, another string to this mattress’ bow is temperature regulation. The quilted fabric cover provides a cooling effect when the body gets hot, which helps keep the mattress comfortable year-round.
Buy now £299.99, Memory Foam Warehouse
Wayfair Sleep Memory Foam Mattress
At just over £200, Wayfair Sleep’s Memory Foam Mattress is sure to help the budget-conscious sleep easy.
This is a memory foam mattress at the firmer and more supportive end of the spectrum, providing ample support for people of all shapes and sizes. It goes beyond the basics, with a lovely satiny cover that offers a different feel to any of the other mattresses we’ve tested.
If you want the benefit of body-contouring memory foam without breaking the bank, this mattress would be a fine choice.
Buy now £219.99, Wayfair
Happy Beds Laytech Plus Latex and Reflex Foam Orthopaedic Mattress
The Laytech Plus provides a good level of comfort, at a fraction of the cost.
Tested on a natural side-sleeper, it’s suitable for sleeping all manner of ways, front, back and side. It has quite a lot of give – about 4cm – which will suit those who like to feel well-supported.
One of this mattress’ selling points is the fact it incorporates a 2cm layer of latex – a material known to guard against bacteria, fungi, and in other use cases, the conception of human life. On a serious note, latex truly is a provenly hygienic choice of mattress material.
Don’t be alarmed if this mattress has a strong scent when you first get it out of its packaging. This is called off-gasing and it’s a common characteristic of latex mattresses, in most cases the smell will wear off to such an extent that it becomes unnoticeable within a few days.
Buy now £249.99, Happy Beds
