Good quality bed sheets can be expensive. But you still have options if you are shopping for budget bed sheets. You may not get the cooling luxury of linen sheets or the silky softness of mulberry silk sheets, but you can still get comfortable and long lasting bed sheets at an affordable price. 

Here are the 5 best bed sheets if you are shopping on a budget. By budget, we mean they cost under $50 for a Queen size 4-piece set.  

1. Polyester Bed Sheets

Polyester bed sheets are among the cheapest you can get. That’s because polyester is relatively easy to manufacture from petroleum products. You can get a full set of polyester sheets for around $20. 

Polyester bedding has greatly improved in quality over the years. They are not the same scratchy and itchy bed sheets you may have encountered in the past. Modern polyester sheets are soft and supple. 

That said, they still have a few comfort issues. For one, polyester linen is not very breathable, so polyester sheets tend to trap heat and sweat. If you have night sweats or you are a hot sleeper, consider blended polyester sheets instead. They are still affordable, but they sleep cooler. 

If you don't overheat easily or sweat a lot in sleep, then polyester sheets may work for you. Just remember to launder them at least once a week as they easily develop odors. 

2. Microfiber Bed Sheets

Microfiber bed sheets are an improved version of polyester sheets. They are actually mostly polyester mixed with a small amount of other materials like nylon (polyamide) or rayon (plant-based fibers).  

Microfiber bed sheets are softer, a bit more breathable and better at sweat-wicking. To make them even softer, they can be brushed to give them a velvety feel. 

On the downside, microfiber sheets are more delicate and don't last as long compared to 100% polyester sheets. They are also a bit more expensive with a 4-piece Queen size set ranging between $20 and $40.   

3. Blended Polyester Bed Sheets (e.g. Poly-Cotton)

Blended polyester bed sheets are the best compromise between not-so-breathable 100% polyester sheets and more expensive sheets like cotton and bamboo. 

The most popular blended polyester sheets are poly-cotton. A 50-50 mix gives you the durability of polyester and the cooling and breathability of cotton. 

Polyester can also be mixed with rayon fibers like bamboo or Tencel. This makes the sheets more breathable, softer and better at wicking away sweat. 

Blended sheets are not as comfortable as 100% bamboo, Tencel or cotton sheets, but they are a lot cheaper. 

How much the blended sheets cost depends on the ratio of the two materials. The more polyester there is, the cheaper the sheets will be. So a 70% poly 30% bamboo sheet set will be cheaper than a 50% poly 50% bamboo set. 

4. Blended Cotton and Rayon Bed Sheets

If you want to completely move away from polyester without spending a lot of money on all-natural bed sheets, your best option is blended cotton + rayon sheets. 

Cotton is, of course, a natural material. Rayon, on the other hand, is a semi-synthetic material typically made from wood pulp. You can read all about semi-synthetic bedding in this post. Bamboo, Tencel and Modal are all rayon fabrics. They are soft, highly breathable and good at managing sweat. 

Combining rayon and cotton gives you the best of two great materials. You get sheets that sleep cool, keep you sweat-free and feel really soft. Cotton also improves the longevity of rayon fabrics, which are delicate on their own.

You can get 100% bamboo or Tencel rayon bed sheets. But they are a bit pricey, which is why we did not include them here. They are not crazy expensive, though. You can get a set of bamboo, Tencel or Modal sheets for between $50 and $100. They are cheaper than linen, silk and high-end cotton sheets. 

5. Low to Medium Thread Count Cotton Sheets

Really good cotton sheets are pricey, especially those with high thread counts of 400-600. If you are looking for affordable cotton bed sheets, you’ll have better luck with low to medium thread count sheets. 

These have a thread count between 200 and 400. The good news is that 200-400 TC cotton sheets are still pretty comfortable. They are breathable, absorb sweat from your skin and they feel soft.