Can a cheap mattress actually be good?#
Yes, within limits. Price buys you better materials, deeper comfort layers and longer warranties, but the single biggest factor for your back, firmness, costs nothing extra. A systematic review of 39 studies found that medium-firm mattresses best support comfort, sleep quality and spinal alignment,1 and you can hit a medium-firm feel at almost any price point. The trick is knowing where it is safe to save and where it is not.
Every pick below is under £300 for a double and independently scored on the same 10-point framework we apply to £1,000 mattresses (see how we score). We may earn a commission on links, at no extra cost to you; it never affects a score.
The best budget mattresses at a glance#
| Mattress | Best for | Firmness | Depth | Price (double) | Our score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood Memory Foam | Best under £150 | Medium | 18cm | £109 | 8.4 |
| Core CoolMax Memory Foam | Best budget cooling | Medium | 15cm | £147 | 8.4 |
| Core Bubble Memory | Best light-sleeper pick | Medium | 15cm | £148 | 8.4 |
| Comfort Ortho Firm | Best budget firm / back pain | Firm | 20cm | £157 | 8.4 |
| Saffron Comfort Deep | Best budget for side sleepers | Medium | 23cm | £174 | 8.5 |
| Superior Cashmere | Best budget luxury feel | Medium | 23cm | £198 | 8.5 |
| Emma Original Lite | Best brand-name budget buy | Medium | 20cm | £246 | 8.3 |
| Majestic 9000 Extra Firm | Best budget extra-firm | Firm | 23cm | £273 | 8.5 |
Best under £150: Westwood Memory Foam#
The Westwood from The Foam People is made to order in the UK from a simple two-layer foam recipe, and at £109 it scored 9.3 for value, the highest on the site. It's an 18cm build, so it suits lighter adults, children and guest beds best; heavier nightly sleepers should spend up to a deeper model.
Best budget cooling: Core CoolMax Memory Foam#
Budget foam usually means hot foam. The Core CoolMax counters it with a moisture-wicking CoolMax cover over its memory foam for £147, the cheapest credible answer for warm sleepers, alongside its sibling pick in our cooling guide.
Best light-sleeper pick: Core Bubble Memory#
The Core Bubble Memory pairs a cushioning "bubble" comfort layer with a supportive core for £148. All-foam builds like this absorb a partner's movement almost completely, useful if you wake easily.
Best budget firm: Comfort Ortho Firm#
Genuinely firm budget mattresses are usually just thin. The 20cm Comfort Ortho Firm uses a dense supportive core to earn its 8.6 support score, our budget answer for front sleepers and firm-preferring backs at £157. Read the evidence on firmness and back pain in our orthopaedic guide first.
Best budget for side sleepers: Saffron Comfort Deep#
The 23cm Saffron Comfort Deep has the deepest comfort layer of the sub-£200 picks, enough give at the shoulder for side sleeping without bottoming out at the hip. £174.
Best budget luxury feel: Superior Cashmere#
A cashmere-blend cover at £198: the Superior Cashmere is The Foam People's plushest build and the pick when you want a spare room to feel like a hotel, full detail in our review.
Best brand-name budget buy: Emma Original Lite#
The Emma Original Lite trims the Original's build to 20cm but keeps the 200-night trial and 10-year warranty, by far the longest cover at this price. Value score: 9.4. If trial length is what lets you sleep at night, this is the budget pick.
Best budget extra-firm: Majestic 9000 Extra Firm#
Hand-built by Luxe Mattresses, the Majestic 9000 delivers a 9.1 support score at £273 with a 100-night trial. For heavier front sleepers who wear out soft mattresses, it's the budget survivor; its deeper sibling, the Majestic 11000, adds a touch more cushioning for £318.
What each price band really buys#
| Price (double) | What to expect | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Under £120 | Simple foam, 15–18cm, fine for kids and guests | Too shallow for heavier nightly use |
| £120–£200 | Better covers (CoolMax, cashmere blends), 20–23cm cores | Short or no home trial from some makers |
| £200–£300 | Brand-name entry models, long trials, firmer specialist builds | Thin "lite" versions of famous names |
What you can safely save on#
- Brand name: small and direct-to-consumer makers often match big brands on materials for less.
- Fancy covers and toppers: nice to have, not essential, a separate topper can be added later.
- Pillow-top extras: a well-built medium core matters more than a plush surface that compresses.
What not to skimp on#
- Support: a sagging core wrecks spinal alignment, prioritise firmness and core density over surface plushness.
- Durability: long-term testing shows quality foams hold their firmness well, while cheap, low-density foam softens fast.2
- Trial period: a home trial lets you return a mattress that doesn't suit, invaluable at the budget end.
- Depth for your weight: over about 14 stone, treat 23cm as the minimum; a shallow core you compress flat supports nothing.
Value brands we rate#
- The Foam People: made-to-order all-foam mattresses from around £109, with custom sizes and CoolMax options. The cheapest credible route to a supportive bed. See our Foam People review.
- Luxe (Majestic range): hand-built British firm-foam models that drop into budget territory on sale, with a 100-night trial and 10-year warranty. See our Luxe review.
- Emma (on sale): the popular bed-in-a-box rarely sells at full RRP, so its discounted price often lands in budget range with a long trial.
Is the "new mattress smell" a problem on cheap foam?#
Budget foam can have a faint odour out of the box. Independent testing of memory-foam emissions found volatile organic compounds well below health-based guidance values, decaying within weeks, so airing the mattress in a ventilated room for a day or two is generally enough.3
Frequently asked questions#
What is the best cheap mattress in the UK?#
For most buyers, the Westwood Memory Foam at £109 for guest rooms and lighter sleepers, or the Saffron Comfort Deep at £174 for nightly adult use.
How much do I need to spend on a decent mattress?#
From about £110 for occasional use, £150–£200 for a lighter adult sleeping on it nightly, and £200–£300 to get brand-name trials or specialist firmness. Above £300, see our main mattress guide.
Are cheap memory foam mattresses safe?#
Yes. Foam emissions testing found VOC levels well below health-based benchmarks, fading within weeks.3 Buy from a UK seller so fire-safety regulations apply, and air the mattress on arrival.
How long will a budget mattress last?#
Expect 4–6 years of nightly adult use from a sub-£200 foam build against 7–10 from a premium one. Rotating it monthly and using a protector extends its life.
Should I buy a used or ex-display mattress instead?#
No. Hygiene aside, a compressed second-hand core has lost the support you're buying it for, and you get no trial or warranty. A new £109 Westwood beats any used £500 mattress.
Is a budget mattress OK for a child?#
Often ideal: children are light, so a 15–18cm medium foam build supports them perfectly well, and they'll outgrow the bed before the mattress wears out.
The bottom line#
Buy for a medium-firm feel, a dense and supportive core, and a real home trial, and a cheap mattress can sleep far better than its price suggests. Browse our full range by price, filter by firmness, or take our quiz for a budget-matched pick.
We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.
References#
- Caggiari G, Talesa GR, Toro G, Jannelli E, Monteleone G, Puddu L. What type of mattress should be chosen to avoid back pain and improve sleep quality? Review of the literature. Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. 2021;22:51. doi:10.1186/s10195-021-00616-5
- Vlaović Z, Klarić N, Domljan D. Investigating the Impact of Long-Term Use on Mattress Firmness and Sleep Quality: Preliminary Results. Applied Sciences. 2024;14(21):10016. doi:10.3390/app142110016
- Beckett EM, Cackovic K, Charles S, et al. Quantification of volatile organic compound emissions from memory foam mattresses and predicted inhalation exposures. Chemosphere. 2022;303:134945. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134945
