Cheap mattresses found on generic online marketplaces like Lazada, neighbourhood stores, or even the travelling pasar malam can cost just a few hundred. These are typically simple innerspring mattresses, an outdated bedding technology that we do not recommend – at least if used on their own without a quality mattress topper.
Innerspring mattresses generally consist of 2 metal frames forming the two surfaces of the mattress connected by a mesh of springs, and looks like a kind of metal hammock when the fabric is removed.

Inside an innerspring mattress
Heavier parts of your body like your hip sink more into the mattress, and this also pulls down on surrounding frame, which takes away support from these surrounding body parts. This feels like the mattress isn’t contacting or supporting your lower back, your muscles stay active to maintain spinal alignment and this leads to poor sleep and lower back tightness in the morning.
If you sleep with a partner, the innerspring frame can also transmit vibrations from their movement much more than foam mattresses and pocketed coil mattresses do.
Invest in your mattress
While a mattress is a big-ticket purchase, it is one of the things that are absolutely worth investing in. Lack of quality sleep seeps into every facet of our life, from poor health, decreased work performance, and strained relationships.
Of the mattresses we’ve reviewed, we found that one generally gets more value per dollar from mattresses that cost more. That said, you should not use price as a gauge of mattress quality, and always try them before purchase.
IKEA HÖVÅG Mattress

$499.00
Overall Value:
(5 / 10)

- Support: 7 / 10
- Firmness: 5 / 10
- Support Layer: Pocketed Spring
- Comfort Layer: Memory Foam
- Mattress Height: 24 cm
- Size: Queen
At $499, the HÖVÅG is one of the cheapest pocket spring mattresses you’ll find around. The HÖVÅG mattress sports a pocketed spring core with a memory foam comfort layer. We actually found this more comfortable than one of IKEA’s more expensive pocketed spring models, the HIDRASUND ($1199). The mattress was supportive to lie on when new, and the memory foam layer does a really nice job of cradling the body. There seems to be a little problem with heat retention, however, as it got a little stuffy after laying down for 20 minutes without turning over.
IKEA’s mattresses are known to have a problem with durability, wearing down in just a few years, and the materials did feel a little less premium than brands like Tempur. Granted, for the price of other quality mattresses you could probably purchase the HÖVÅG mattress several times over. However, it is important to remember you’ll also have to pay shipping for this hefty item each time you purchase, which can come up to almost $100 per delivery. There’ll also be intermittent periods where your mattress is wearing down that you experience poor sleep. All in all, even though it is really cheap for a pocketed spring mattress, we’ve shaved value points off because of durability concerns. It is better to invest in one quality mattress you can rely on for quality sleep every night than one that you have to worry about replacing every now and then, especially when you are exhausted.
Seahorse Crystal Foam Mattress

$501.00
Overall Value:
(5 / 10)

- Support: 6 / 10
- Firmness: 9 / 10
- Support Layer: High-density PU Foam
- Comfort Layer: None
- Mattress Height: 17 cm
- Size: Queen
Sea Horse hails from Hong Kong and is one of the most popular budget mattresses in Singapore. The Sea Horse Crystal mattress seems to be made entirely of a high-density PU Foam. At just 17 cm thick, the offering seems to be a mattress core without comfort layers. We found this to be extremely firm, yet not optimally supportive. When sleeping on your back, the mattress pushes your hips to the surface and doesn’t support the arch in the lower back enough. There’ll also be too much pressure on the shoulder if you lie on your side, pushing your spine out of neutral alignment and perhaps causing sore shoulders. Unless you like the feeling of sleeping on an almost solid block, the Crystal mattress will not feel comfortable on its own.
However, the PU foam itself feels pretty solid and responsive – suitable as a support layer. If you are on a budget, or already own one, we recommend using a foam mattress topper to introduce a comfort layer to the mattress. A memory foam mattress topper will feel less firm and cradle your body, while a latex mattress topper will be more responsive and bouncy.
Haylee Mattress

$699.00
Overall Value:
(8 / 10)

- Support: 8.5/ 10
- Firmness: 4 / 10
- Support Layer: High-density Foam
- Comfort Layer: Memory Foam and soft foam
- Mattress Height: 24 cm
- Size: Queen
Haylee is a Singapore-based retailer that delivers their mattresses in a box – it was pretty fun watching the mattress expand upon unboxing. Their standard mattress is a hybrid mattress consisting of several different foam layers: a high density foundation, a transition foam layer, and then several layers of comfort foam on top. Although Haylee rates their mattress a 6 / 10 for firmness, the top layers are on the softer side of medium (we rate it a 4 / 10) but it is really supportive despite that. In order to represent good mattress support in the industry’s single lazy metric, the firmness of memory foam mattresses can sometimes be overrated, which is why we prefer to rate firmness and support separately.
Immediately noticeable was how little motion transfer there was – you can barely feel another person getting into the same bed, probably due to the memory foam comfort layer. This is a great feature to have if you sleep with a partner, unless you live in a dangerous are where unknown strangers frequently crawl into your bed. It was also really soft and lush yet supportive at the same time. However, the comfort layers were possible a tad to thick for the firmness, which results in a slight sinking feeling that not everyone may like.
Noa Mattress

$999.00
Overall Value:
(9 / 10)

- Support: 9 / 10
- Firmness: 5.5/ 10
- Support Layer: Pocket Springs and base foam
- Comfort Layer: Memory Foam and latex foam
- Mattress Height: 27 cm
- Size: Queen
Noa is a Canadian company that also delivers beds in boxes directly to consumers. The advantage of this model is that every dollar you spend goes into quality rather than costly overheads.
The Noa mattress has to be one of the most comfortable mattresses in the mid-range price tier that we’ve ever tried. Unlike most beds in a box that are 100% foam, Noa’s mattresses have a pocket spring on transition foam base, followed by latex and gel-infused foam comfort layers, which we really liked. Perhaps most impressive was how the mattress did not feel like a pocketed spring mattress at all, and resembled the superior comfort of full-foam hybrids. We’re guessing that this is due to the additional base foam layer below that most pocketed spring mattresses do not have, as well as the memory foam layer. Pocketed spring support layers are also known to be more reliable and much more durable than foam support layers over time.
Origin Hybrid Pro Mattress

$1299.00
Overall Value Rating:
(8 / 10)

- Support: 9 / 10
- Firmness: 7.5 / 10
- Support Layer: 7-Zone ErgoCoil Support Springs
- Comfort Layer: Polar Silk Tencel Pillow-top layer
- Mattress Height: 30 cm
- Size: Queen
The Origin Hybrid Pro mattress uses a pocketed spring support base, which we always recommend over innerspring or full-foam technologies for its durability and ability to support each part of your body individually. In fact, the ErgoCoil technology in the Hybrid Pro takes full advantage of the pocketed spring style by dividing the mattress longitudinally into 7 zones, each with a different gauge of spring. This does reduce joint soreness somewhat by allowing certain parts of your body to sink, while remaining supportive where needed.
Like all well-designed mattresses, the Hybrid Pro gets creative with its comfort layering, which disguises the fact that it is a pocketed spring mattress – it feels just like a quality foam mattress with a pillow-top, but with the durability and support specificity of pocketed springs. In particular, layering latex on top of memory foam gives the comfort layer the pressure-redistribution abilities of memory foam while keeping the texture responsive – you’ll not get swallowed by the comfort layer.
Sleepy Night Spinal Crest Mattress

$1279.00
Overall Value:
(6 / 10)

- Support: 8 / 10
- Firmness: 7.5 / 10
- Support Layer: Pocketed Springs
- Comfort Layer: Pillow-top
- Mattress Height: 27 cm
- Size: Queen
The Sleepy Night Spinal Crest mattress feels like an ordinary pocket spring mattress with a pillow-top comfort layer. It is supportive and the pillow-top is firmer than most pillow-top comfort layers, but there is a coarseness to it, as if it were filled with stiff plastic fibers. It is quite pricey for the level of comfort it provides, though it may be available on discount and also offers a warranty by the brand.
King Koil Chrysler Mattress

$1679.00
Overall Value:
(5 / 10)

- Support: 7.5/ 10
- Firmness: 5 / 10
- Support Layer: Pocketed Spring
- Comfort Layer: Pillow-top
- Mattress Height: 28 cm
- Size: Queen
King Koil’s innerspring mattresses actually start in the $500 – $800 range, such as the King Koil Perfect Moments mattress, which is a pretty hefty price tag for innerspring mattresses! For the reasons outlined above, we recommend staying away from the outdated innerspring technology. The King Koil Chrysler is one of the cheaper non-innerspring models from King Koil.
It feels responsive like a regular pocketed spring mattress with reasonably good support. The pocketed springs are supposedly divided up into 5 zones, with a higher concentration of springs where the lower back is positioned, but the difference was not discernible through the thick pillow-top. King Koil’s support layers have a reputation for a long lifespan of 10+ years, and the concentration of springs at the heavier areas could explain why. One concern we had was how long the pillow-top would stay plush.
For almost $1700, the experience was pretty ordinary and could be replicated with pocketed spring mattresses from brands that do not charge a premium, and fitted with a pillow-top mattress topper.
Slumberland Marisa Mattress

$1780.00
Overall Value:
(5 / 10)

- Support: 8 / 10
- Firmness: 7 / 10
- Support Layer: Pocketed Springs
- Comfort Layer: PU Foam
- Mattress Height: 26 cm
- Size: Queen
One could tell from the responsiveness, excellent support, and reduced vibration transmission that the Slumberland Marisa mattress utilizes a pocketed spring system. The PU foam layer was perhaps meant to give the mattress a good firmness and further distribute weight among the pocketed coils, it felt a little over-responsive and was unable to conform to our bodies. The mattress might do better if a latex comfort layer had been used instead, which we’d expect for the price. The comfort could be greatly improved with a latex mattress topper as latex is responsive and bouncy without being overly unforgiving.
Simmons Beautyrest® Tilumé III Mattress

$2499.00
Overall Value:
(8 / 10)

- Support: 8.5/ 10
- Firmness: 5 / 10
- Support Layer: Pocket Springs
- Comfort Layer: Pillow-top
- Mattress Height: 32 cm
- Size: Queen
The Simmons Beautyrest® Tilumé III is a massive mattress with a lot packed into its 32cm thick frame. As with most mattresses in this price range, the support is outstanding and the pocket springs should be really durable. The pillow-top on this mattress is extra plush and we really did not feel the pocketed springs underneath, which is surprising without a memory foam layer. This is especially great for people who do not like the sinking feeling of memory foam.
Something about the pillow-top filling just feels really luxurious, as if it was a bed of goose feathers. The level of comfort provided by the Simmons Beautyrest® Tilumé III mattress is definitely worth its hefty price. As with all pillow-top mattresses, our main concern is whether the pillow-top will wear out before the rest of the mattress.
Sealy Posturepedic Enhance Significance Mattress

$5399.00
Overall Value:
(7 / 10)

- Support: 8.5 / 10
- Firmness: 6.5 / 10
- Support Layer: SRx Titanium Coil Innerspring
- Comfort Layer: Memory Foam
- Mattress Height: 27 cm
- Size: Queen
The Sealy Posturepedic Enhance Significance mattress has the excellent responsive support of a pocket spring mattress, but is actually an innerspring design! The mattress was supportive in both the side- and back-sleeping positions, due to the multilayered comfort foam layers and perhaps the SRx Titanium Coils, which is patented technology unique to Sealy. These are coils of spring that have a unique resistance curve: light, conforming support when slightly compressed that becomes much stronger and firmer past a certain threshold. Just like the Simmons Beautyrest, it is one of the most luxuriously comfortable mattresses you’ll find.
However, the price tag is pretty hefty – almost twice that of the Simmons Beautyrest – and this could be due to the use of patented technology throughout the mattress. We feel that the same level of luxury could be achieved by using standard pocket spring systems with well-designed comfort layers rather than special innerspring technology designed to mimic pocket springs. It could play a role, however, in the longevity of the mattress. It is also worth noting that titanium is extremely durable and we’re confident the Sealy Posturepedic Enhance Significance (what a mouthful!) will last longer than most mattresses.
TEMPUR® Hybrid Elite Mattress with Cooltouch™

$8999.00
Overall Value:
(8 / 10)

- Support: 9 / 10
- Firmness: 6.5 / 10
- Support Layer: MicroCoils™ Pocketed Spring and High-density Foam
- Comfort Layer: TEMPUR Memory Foam
- Mattress Height: 22 cm
- Size: Queen
Like the Noa and Simmons Beautyrest mattresses, the well-designed comfort layering of the TEMPUR Hybrid Elite mattress disguised the fact that this was a pocketed spring mattress, while still offering its fantastic support and superior durability. This is one of the firmest memory foam mattresses we’ve tried, which justifies its high price tag because high-density memory foams can be several times more expensive to make. The comfort it provides is top-notch, and will be worth it for sleepers who prefer a firm bed, yet still want to enjoy the body-conforming, movement-reducing qualities of memory foam bedding. We’re giving it extra value points because it does serve a niche that not many mattresses can, and is not too pricey for its construction.
The TEMPUR Memory Foam is basically an extra high density memory foam. It does take a little longer for the body to sink and the foam to conform to the body, which will be appreciated by sleepers who prefer a firm touch. It can be a slight nuisance if you change positions during sleep frequently and have to wait for the mattress to reform around your body. It also feels slightly warmer than other high-end memory foam mattresses because of the high density foam.