What’s the Least You Can Spend on a Good Bed? (Frame, Mattress, and Sheets Included)

Trust me — while it may be tempting to skimp here, you’ll appreciate a supportive mattress in the long run over fancy bedding or a design-y bed frame. This hybrid mattress from Zinus is listed at $999 full price, which isn’t a wildly low number but is considerably cheaper than many other mattresses we’ve reviewed. Plus it is very frequently on sale for around $699, so if you can hold out for a good deal (I recommend keeping an eye on our running list of mattress sales), you can free up some cash for fun extras like a weighted stuffed animal or a body pillow.

I named this mattress our best (less expensive) mattress overall because it’s a great mattress that’s also about $1,100 cheaper than our top pick, the Saatva Classic. I’ve continued sleeping on this mattress at home since originally reviewing it and appreciate how it’s supportive without being too firm; I can comfortably rotate between my side and back. I purposefully chose a hybrid mattress for this challenge, because even though I am a fan of all-foam mattresses made of memory foam — I’m a sucker for their sink-y, contouring feel — hybrids are a better bet if you are on a tight budget. Not only do hybrids generally provide sturdier base support thanks to the coils, but there’s less risk that you’ll end up with a mattress that disappoints you after a few months. In my experience, foam is a very get-what-you-pay-for material, and cheap all-foam mattresses tend to be lower quality, overall, than cheap hybrid mattresses. The mix of foam and coils together will likely be more comfortable in the long run.

The floor is not where your mattress belongs. Strategist home writer Lauren Ro has unearthed plenty of affordable bed frame picks, but this one from KD Frames is especially inexpensive, at just over $200. While it is quite simple, it looks a lot nicer than many other cheap bed frame options — there are some very creaky metal platform beds out there. The minimalist, solid-wood frame will pleasingly float your mattress about ten inches off the ground, and the brand says it can support up to 600 pounds. Because of the slats, you won’t need a box spring or anything extra to support your mattress, so it’s very much a one-and-done. And as a bonus, it folds in half in the event that you need to move or store it.

This down-alternative pillow from Beckham Hotel Collection has been a long-time Strategist favorite, thanks to its affordability, comfort, and effective neck support. It’s a simple pillow, filled with polyester fiber fill, but it’s stuffed densely enough that it feels nice and cushy and won’t immediately go flat. It also works well with a lot of different sleep positions — Strategist staffers who are side sleepers, back sleepers, stomach sleepers, or a combo have all rested comfortably on it. Plus, it’s just $60 for a two-pack.

If you prefer denser memory foam over a fluffy fiber-filled pillow, however, I’d recommend the Weekender Gel Memory Foam pillow, our best (less expensive) overall memory-foam pillow. While the Beckham Hotel pillows offer good support for a down-alternative, the Weekender’s foam will give you a less obviously squishy feel and more heavy-duty neck support. It’s a single slab of foam, infused with gel and perforated for cooling. At first it feels slightly firm, but the longer I laid on it, the more my head and neck sank in for some pleasant cushioning. While the Beckham Hotel pillow is good for all three sleeping positions, I’d primarily recommend this one to back sleepers and side sleepers — I think it’s a bit too firm and lofty for comfortable stomach sleeping. This pillow is similarly priced to the Beckham Hotel ones, at $30 each.

You’ll need at least one set of sheets (although ideally, get two to make laundry day less of a pain), and these ones from Quince happen to be our favorite sheets overall because they hit the sweet spot of being high quality while feeling more expensive than they are. They’re made of light and crisp cotton percale; Ro describes them as smooth to the touch, with a nice-looking matte finish, and so airy they almost feel paperlike. At $80 for a queen set, it’s hard to do much better. And while it’s true that you can certainly go cheaper on sheets, I like these because they’re good for hot sleepers (percale is super breathable), they’re made from organic cotton, and, according to Ro, they’re quite durable. I’m also willing to splurge a little more on sheets than some other bedding elements, since you’ll feel your sheets more close against your skin, than say, your duvet. These also come in 13 colors and patterns, primarily neutrals and earth tones, so they’ll be easy to work into existing décor.

For an even cheaper option, these cotton sateen sheets also come highly recommended by Ro — she says they feel surprisingly substantial, given the price. New York deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff is also a fan and has been impressed with how the sheets get softer with every wash. At just $50 for 100 percent cotton sheets — that come in a nice variety of color options — these are a true steal even at full price (but they occasionally go on sale for even less).

Our best-in-class pick from SafeRest will set you back a maximum of $70, which is the official list price, but I’ve actually never seen it cost that much. It has a layer of cotton terrycloth over the waterproof polyurethane, which gives it a soft and cozy feel and no plasticky crackling.

Or, if you run warmer, a second option is Coop’s waterproof mattress protector, which has cooling bamboo rayon over its waterproof layer. Bamboo rayon is known for regulating temperature and wicking moisture, so it’s a good pick for use in the summer. It’s about $60 at full price, but sometimes on sale.

I’ve kept it pretty cheap here, since comforters and duvets get very pricey (case in point: our favorite “less expensive” down comforter, from Brooklinen, costs almost $400). So unless you’re willing to splash out for real down or other higher-end materials, I’d go with this down-alternative option from Linenspa, which is also one of Ro’s picks. It has a microfiber shell and is filled with polyester fiber fill, so it is conveniently machine-washable. The weight should work for all seasons, and if you want to add a duvet cover in the future, you can use the comforter as an insert, since it has corner loops to attach a duvet cover. But if you use it without a cover, it does come in a few different colors, including white, black, gray, and a few brown shades. (Though, because it is a lighter comforter overall, if you live in a region that gets very cold, you may need to supplement with an additional quilt or blanket in the winter.)

This microfiber one with decorative ties is one of the most affordable options we’ve found. It earned a spot on Ro’s list of best duvet covers after a home-design expert recommended for its casual, bohemian feel.

We’ve reviewed lots of great pillows, but the Purple Harmony is my personal favorite. It’s definitely an expensive one, but I think it’s worth the price. It has a core made of latex, which is a type of foam that’s bouncy, responsive, and cooling, so I generally prefer it over memory foam. On top of the latex, there’s a thin layer of Purple’s GelFlex grid sewn into the pillow’s cover, which makes the pillow feel even more cool and bouncy than similar latex pillows. I love this in a pillow because it provides really sturdy support, without feeling overly stiff or firm — the latex is flexible and pliant. It also comes in three lofts, so you can choose the height that works best for your typical sleeping position.