I Bought a $278.99 Walmart Mattress. Here's How It Compares to My Expensive Tempur-Pedic

Recently, we bought a mattress that we plan to use temporarily for a few months as most of our furniture is in storage while we complete a remodeling project. We didn't want to spend a lot of money since this mattress will be relegated to a guest room, if it is used at all, once we get our furniture back in place.

We opted to buy a memory foam mattress from Walmart and paid $278.99 for a king size. This was a fraction of the cost of our regular mattress, which is a Tempur-Pedic that cost several thousand dollars.

After sleeping on the cheap mattress for a while, here's how they compare.

Both are equally comfortable

First and most importantly, my husband and I have found that both of the mattresses are equally comfortable to sleep on. Both provide a similar level of firmness and support. And, we don't feel the other person moving around in either bed. In fact, if forced to pick which of the two we like better, we would not be able to based on the comfort factor alone.

Both have the same warranty

Our Tempur-Pedic mattress came with a 10-year warranty. We didn't expect our new bed to offer this same guarantee since it cost so much less. But, we were wrong. The new, inexpensive mattress also has a 10-year warranty and a 30-day refund policy to make sure we're comfortable with it.

Both have multiple layers

Our Tempur-Pedic came with multiple different layers of material including a comfort layer on the top, a support layer in the middle, and a base layer. Each of these layers is supposed to serve a purpose, like distributing body weight evenly along the mattress or dispersing heat.

Our inexpensive mattress actually comes with more layers, referred to as the "five floors of comfort." There's a top breathable fabric, a second layer to avoid heat, two separate support layers, and a non-slip layer at the bottom.

I'm not exactly sure if all of these layers are serving their exact purpose, but I have noticed that neither bed sleeps warm and both feel like they provide adequate support. The non-slip layer on the cheaper mattress also seems to help it stay in place on my box springs.

The Tempur-Pedic feels heavier and more substantial

The Tempur-Pedic stands out by feeling more substantial. The cheaper mattress came vacuum packed in a tiny little package and it took a while to fluff up. And it just doesn't have the same heft as the Tempur-Pedic mattress.

However, while this is a point in the Tempur-Pedic's favor because the substance has me feeling like it may last longer, it also means the Tempur-Pedic is more of a pain to move around.

Ultimately, I feel like the cheaper mattress was a better buy. It left more money in my bank account than the Tempur-Pedic, and it provides a similar level of comfort as well as the same warranty.

The experience has shown that buying a more expensive bed isn't always the best option, so before breaking out your credit cards, be sure to explore and fully compare different mattresses to find one that feels the best at a fair price. Visit some stores and try them out. Don't immediately dismiss one just due to a lower price point, as you might miss out on a comfortable mattress at a great discount. And don't forget to consider the return policy and warranty so you end up happy with your purchase in the long run.