Are Expensive Mattresses Worth It?

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Some people swear by expensive mattresses, but others think a mattress’ price doesn’t make a difference. So, why are some mattresses more expensive than others, and is the difference actually worth it?

Don’t think of this as a price guide—we’re just going to outline why some mattresses are more expensive than others, and whether or not that extra expense leads to a better mattress. That way, people should be able to find the best mattress for their budget, whether said budget is $600 or $6,000.

Expensive Mattresses Are Usually Worth It

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Two things make a mattress worth its price: the comfort you get from a mattress and the physical quality of its materials. Comfort is, of course, subjective (and is therefore an illusion of the primitive mind). But it would be fair to describe a comfortable mattress as supportive, soft, breathable, and long-lasting.

As you might assume, materials that are considered “high quality” tend to offer these feelings, while cheap “low-quality” materials often bring about feelings universally recognized as uncomfortable (uneven support, heat buildup, etc.).

You already know where this is going. A good mattress is made from high-quality materials, and high-quality materials are expensive. But that doesn’t necessarily mean all expensive mattresses are great—only the ones made with high-quality materials are worth their salt.

It’s Easy to Tell When a Mattress Is High Quality

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You can’t go to the mattress store to perform mattress autopsies, so you’ll never know exactly what’s in a mattress before you buy it. But that’s fine. You can usually tell a mattress’ quality simply by examining it in person, and the process only takes about a minute.

Here’s what you’ll find while examining a high quality mattress:

• Thickness/height: A tall mattress is a comfortable mattress—all that extra height leads to more weight distribution. A high-quality memory foam or latex mattress should be 10 to 12 inches, while high-quality innerspring mattresses should be 12 to 14 inches (bigger springs are more bouncy and supportive than smaller springs).
• Density/weight: Lightweight mattresses are often made from synthetic or low-density (and thereby unsupportive or uneven) materials. You can test a mattress’ density by trying to pick it up— high-density mattresses are heavy. You can also look for labels like “high-density memory foam” or “natural latex,” but try to rely on your instincts (labels can be misleading).
• Springiness: High-quality innerspring and latex mattresses should be incredibly springy (but still soft and quiet; squeaking is bad). As for memory foam, it shouldn’t be springy at all. It should sink and change shape slowly, like in the advertisements.
• Cover: A thin mattress cover with breathable quilted pattern will keep you from sweating at night. If a mattress cover is rigid or warm to the touch, then it’s probably cheap.

In other words, you can tell the quality of a mattress just by looking at its height, feeling its weight, and pressing down on its cover. This way, it’s easy to tell if a mattress is worth its price (quality-wise), without listening to any hogwash from a salesperson, an advertisement, or some guy on YouTube.

That said, tall and dense mattresses can get really expensive, and not everybody has that kind of budget. Making compromises is okay—a mattress that you can’t afford is never ever worth it. But you can still check mattresses in your budget for weight, thickness, springiness, and breathability to get the most bang for your buck.

Mattresses Can Be Expensive for the Wrong Reasons

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