See how much you should budget for your next new mattress.

No one likes to feel cheated when making a big purchase, but when it comes to buying a new mattress it can be difficult to determine what constitutes a fair price. The wide range of brands and models, plus inflated sales prices and obscured product information also add to the confusion. Plus, price is only part of the picture, as it is not uncommon to see a low-quality bed and a high-quality bed sold for the same amount. To provide insight into how much one should expect to spend for a decent-quality mattress, we took a look at leading brands of each mattress type.

New Mattress Prices By Type

As with any product, a new mattress can range from very cheap to ridiculously expensive, and everywhere in between. You may be able to find a bed as low as $200, as well as one that costs more than a new car. However, most new mattresses fall in the mid range, somewhere between $500 and $3000. Each mattress type uses different materials, so the costs can vary depending on what type you are buying. The following sections will look at new mattress prices individually for innerspring, memory foam, latex, and waterbed mattresses. For each type, we will compare five mattresses with similar mid-range specifications to contrast pricing and value.

Innerspring Mattress Prices

Innersprings or coil mattresses are the most commonly purchased of all beds, however they are also most prone to price and sale manipulation. It is not unheard of to see retailers advertise claims like “50-75% off!”, citing heavily inflated retail prices designed to make consumers think they are getting a great deal. According to SleepLikeTheDead.com [SLTD], the average price consumers paid for their spring mattresses is $1400. Basic spring beds can be found as low as $300, however high coil counts and add-ons like memory foam, gel, special fabrics, or luxury brand names can cost several thousand dollars. Here are five mid-range spring beds compared on features, cost and owner satisfaction:

 New Mattress Prices: Innerspring Beds

* Some innerspring brands offer different but similar models to different retailers, so direct comparisons can be somewhat tricky. Price ranges are based on actual retail and MSRP.

Memory Foam Mattress Prices

Memory foam has a reputation for being expensive, however the proliferation of competitive brands in recent years has introduced several more affordable options. SLTD reports the average price paid for a memory foam mattress is $1450, with options ranging as low as $200 to over $7500. Memory foam costs can vary considerably by brand name, with other influencing factors including foam density (2.5 lbs to 7.0 lbs) and amount of memory foam in the mattress (1” to 6”+). Denser memory foam contains more memory foam polymer, which makes it more expensive, and the same is true with beds that contain thicker layers of memory foam. To demonstrate the range in the memory foam industry, five different brands are compared below using their 10” models:

 New Mattress Prices: Memory Foam Beds

Latex Mattress Prices

 Latex mattresses can be fairly costly compared to other mattress types, since the entire mattress is made of latex. SLTD reports an average price of $1880, with a range of $500 to $5500 or more. Natural latex mattresses are expensive to produce, and thus result in more costly beds. Synthetic and blended latex mattresses tend to be cheaper than all natural latex. Latex made using the Dunlop process tends to be cheaper than Talalay process latex, however the Talalay process is said by manufacturer to result in more consistent foam. Overall, both types rate similarly in owner satisfaction. As with memory foam, the thickness of the latex will also affect price, with thinner beds costing less.  Here are five latex brands showing cost differences between 8-inch models:

 

Waterbed Mattress Prices

 Waterbed mattresses for hardside beds tend to be among the least expensive mattresses. These can be as cheap as $60 for a basic bladder, or as much as $1000 for models with fiber layers or specially-designed vinyl. Softside waterbeds are made with water chambers set inside a mattress encasement. Softside models usually cost more, and can also include pillowtops and specialty foams. The average price for all waterbeds according to SLTD is $900, with the range mostly between $100-$1800. Below are a couple models from both waterbed categories:

 New Mattress Prices: Waterbeds

Budgeting for a New Mattress

Considering the average price range for the mattress type you are interested in is a good starting point for determining your budget. As a scan of leading brands reveals, one might expect to spend $800 on a spring bed, $1000 on a memory foam bed, $2000 on a latex bed, $200 on a hardside waterbed, or $800 on a softside waterbed, based on mid-range specification for each mattress type. While researching different brands and specifications can help you find better deals, there are also a few smart shopping tips you can use to save when buying a new mattress:

• Sign up for email coupons or newsletters once you’ve narrowed down your options so get the current deals (you can always unsubscribe after you buy).

• Don’t overlook holiday sales. The highly-competitive mattress industry offers frequent sales to attract buyers, and major holidays (like July 4th, Labor Day, Black Friday) are usually when retailers offer their best prices.

• Many new mattress retailers are negotiable when it comes to prices (barring some brands like  iComfort, which may have firmly set prices). It never hurts to ask if there are any discounts or promotions currently available to sweeten the deal.

• Always remember to look at what is actually inside the bed to see how it compares to other options (coil count, memory foam density, latex type etc). It can be difficult to find information on many new mattresses since a similar model may be sold under several different names, specifically to confuse customers and inhibit price comparisons. Looking what the bed actually offers is the best way to compare value across brands, rather than comparing names or prices.

• Comparison shop online as well as in local showrooms. Online shops may have significantly lower prices than physical showrooms for similar products, since overhead costs are much lower and the online market is more competitive. This is especially for specialty mattresses like memory foam and latex. Several online consumer review resources can help you learn about websites’ products and service reputation.

• Don’t put all your faith in the 10 minute showroom “test-drive”. Surveys by Consumer Reports indicated that 40% of people had buyer’s remorse after making a new mattress purchase. Thus, it can be important to ensure you have at least 30 days to test and try the bed in your home, and check on return/restocking costs before buying.

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