Best Mattress Under £500 UK: What to Look For and Where to Buy

What can you get for under £500?

The mattresses we currently track below £500 fall into four constructions: open coil, memory foam, pocket sprung and hybrid. Each describes how the mattress is built, not how comfortable it will feel for you.

• Open coil: a single connected spring unit, usually with a quilted or tufted top layer.
• Memory foam and reflex foam: foam layers rather than springs, sometimes with a waterproof or removable cover where the product states one.
• Pocket sprung: individually housed springs, often described by spring count where the retailer states it.
• Hybrid: springs combined with one or more foam or fibre comfort layers.

Where a product does not state its firmness, spring count, depth or materials, we show that information as not stated rather than filling the gap. You can also browse the wider memory foam and pocket sprung selections, which include products above this budget.

Our current mattresses under £500

These are products in our catalogue with at least one genuine retailer price below £500 today. Every qualifying UK size is listed with its own exact current price and retailer. Where a size costs £500 or more, that size is named separately rather than the whole product being hidden.

Prices change, so treat this as a starting shortlist and check the retailer's own page before you buy. To see everything we track, including products above £500, open the full catalogue or put two options side by side in the comparison tool.

How to choose a mattress under £500

1. 1

   Mattress type

   Decide whether you want springs, foam or a combination. The type is stated for every product we list.

2. 2

   Size

   Check the internal dimensions of your frame first. Size has the biggest effect on what £500 buys.

3. 3

   Firmness

   Use the firmness the manufacturer states. Where none is given we show 'not stated' rather than estimating one.

4. 4

   Sleeping position

   Side, back and front sleepers often prefer different feels. Treat this as personal preference, not a medical rule.

5. 5

   Temperature and breathability

   Some products describe cooling layers or breathable covers. Only rely on what the product actually states.

6. 6

   Sharing a bed

   Two adults have 67.5cm each in a Double and 75cm each in a King. Width and construction both affect disturbance.

7. 7

   Delivery and retailer terms

   Check delivery cost, delivery window, old-mattress removal, returns and any trial the retailer explicitly offers.

We do not make medical claims and we do not suggest a particular firmness is medically better. If you have a health condition affecting your sleep or back, speak to a clinician. Our firmness guide explains how firmness is described across brands.

Hybrid vs pocket sprung vs memory foam

None of these types is universally better. Read our mattress types explained guide for a fuller description of each construction.

Is a £500 mattress good enough?

Price on its own does not tell you whether a mattress suits you. A £450 pocket-sprung Double and a £450 memory foam King are very different products, and the more useful question is whether the stated construction, size and firmness match what you need.

• Construction: which springs, foam or fibre layers the product states.
• Size: the exact UK size, checked against your frame.
• Firmness: as stated by the manufacturer, or not stated.
• Retailer: who is selling it and at what current price.
• Delivery: cost, timescale and access requirements.
• Returns and trials: only where the retailer explicitly offers them.

We do not publish expected-lifespan figures or durability claims, because those would not be supported by the product data we hold.

Compare mattress prices by size

A £500 budget means something different in every size, so always compare within the size you need.

• Single mattresses — the size where a budget stretches furthest.
• Small Double mattresses — extra width for one sleeper, or occasional sharing.
• Double mattresses — the common shared size in smaller rooms.
• King mattresses — more width and 10cm more length than a Double.
• Super King mattresses — the widest standard size, and the tightest fit for this budget.

If you are unsure which size fits your room and frame, our UK mattress size guide lists the dimensions in centimetres.

Use the Mattress Finder

Not sure which mattress is right for you? The Mattress Finder asks a short set of questions — size, preferred feel, sleeping position, construction and budget — and narrows the catalogue to the products that match your answers, with the current retailer price for each.

How we compare mattresses

MattressPriceCheck compares mattresses using structured product information — type, stated firmness, construction, depth and size — alongside retailer information taken from retailer product feeds. Where a retailer supplies a price for a specific size, we show that price to the penny.

We do not carry out independent product testing, and we do not publish reviews, ratings or test results of our own. Where information is missing from the product data, we say it is not stated. All of our guides sit in the guides library.