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With the overall average price of about $70 for the most common pillows, the absolutely cheapest ones cost about $2, and the most expensive are about $200. The price point depends on materials, size, and of course, the brand. When you’re shopping for a new pillow, it’s important to know that you’re not getting overcharged. How much does a pillow cost? Let’s find out.
How Much do Pillows Cost by Type?
The quality of materials certainly plays a role in the cost of pillows, but an even bigger role goes out to the very type of materials. Some materials are quite cheap to produce, and although they can be of higher or lower quality, there are still brackets which each type of pillow falls into. Here are the average prices of all pillow types.
Feather pillow — $25-$50
You can get some quite inexpensive feather pillows out there. Feathers are natural and comfortable, but less fluffy and much spikier (from all the quills poking out) than down pillows. Feather pillows can soon start feeling firm as the feathers settle or lump up after some use. Actually, many pillows you’ll find aren’t pure feather but rather a mix of feathers and down, thus providing more comfort and a lower price than pure down pillows.
Down pillow — $80-$260
Down pillows are more expensive than feather pillows for two reasons. First, down is harder to obtain. Since it is taken from the chest of a bird, there’s much less down from a single bird than there are feathers, which are taken from the back and wings. The second reason is that down is much softer and fluffier and is considered the ultimate luxury in the world of pillows, so it has to carry a higher price point. Many people consider a down pillow the best pillow which offers proper spinal alignment in any sleep position.
Down alternative pillow — $20-$60
Down alternative pillows may feel similar to down or not so much, depending on the quality. Down alternative fill is made of polyester microfibers which make a web-like mesh. Down alternative is cheaper than actual down, but you are going to have to replace your pillow more often. The actual down lasts several times longer.
We have an entire guide comparing down to down alternative pillows.
Memory foam pillow — $50-$150
Memory foam pillow structure varies greatly. Shredded memory foam pillows cost less than memory foam pillows with a carefully designed block of foam that has air holes in it, as an example.
A shredded foam pillow is softer but has a shorter lifespan, but it can be a good choice for stomach or back sleepers. People who want a more supportive pillow for the head and neck should opt for solid memory foam.
Bamboo pillow — $50-$150
It may come as a surprise, but bamboo pillow materials vary in type. Greatly. When bamboo started making it big in the bedding industry, it became fancy to name all products “bamboo”. This was also the case with pillows. A lot of the so-called bamboo pillows actually only have a bamboo rayon casing, while the inside can be polyfill, down alternative, or something else.
So if you want a real pillow made of bamboo cellulose, check the filling and make sure it contains bamboo. By the way, although better than other fully synthetic materials, bamboo rayon is mostly synthetic. They use cellulose from bamboo and chemically process it so much that there isn’t much of anything natural left in it. People who used bamboo pillows say they like the silkiness and fluffiness of the fill.
Cotton pillow — $50-$100
Cotton pillows are filled with natural cotton fibers. Cotton pretty much looks like polyester which is a lot more common in pillows but it lasts longer, doesn’t flatten out so easily, and doesn’t have any kind of unpleasant smell (foams and even feather/down options often have a distinct smell). You don’t need to search for organic cotton, regular cotton fibers are still way better than many of the other pillow fillings anyway. Another plus for cotton pillows is that they aren’t too expensive. For a 100% cotton pillow, look for one that also has a cotton cover.
Polyfill pillow — $10-$85
Polyfill means polyester fill. These are some of the cheapest pillows you can find. They may cost more if the polyester in them is of higher quality but most cheap polyfill pillows should be considered throwaway pillows because they will be good for a very short time. They rarely work for side sleepers and combination sleepers will probably be annoyed half of the time.
Latex pillow — $100-$150
Latex pillows are pricey, just like latex mattresses. But this isn’t always fair. You should know that there are two types of latex, natural and synthetic. Actually, three — there’s also the blend of the two. Natural latex is famous for its extreme durability, springiness, support, and temperature neutrality. Synthetic latex is mimicking all that but still, in my opinion, gets an unfair advantage just for carrying latex in its name. In fact, it’s not exactly as durable, springy, supportive, or temperature-neutral as natural latex. All latex pillows feel soft and heavy.
Average Pillow Cost by Brand
Here are the average prices of pillows by brand. I calculated the average cost after taking all models of several well-known brands into account.
- Nuzzle pillows cost about $25-30.
- Mediflow pillows’ average price is about $90.
- Coop Home Goods pillows cost around $94.
- Nest pillows cost about $99.
- Zoma average price for a pillow is $110.
- Luxe pillows average cost is $115.
- Tuft & Needle pillow price averages at $130.
- Amerisleep average pillow cost is $130.
- Pluto Pillow is about $140 on average.
- The Airweave pillow costs $280.
Factors That Make a Pillow Expensive
Premium materials
High-end materials can be expensive for a variety of reasons. For artificial materials, it’s usually the process of manufacturing and development and for natural materials, it’s about sourcing and/or growing. Either way, when a company has high standards, it should go without saying that it’s going to be harder to obtain materials and that they cost more.
Brand
If a well-known brand and an outsider brand were to offer the exact same product out on the market, which one do you think can afford to ask for a higher price? We all know that a lot of times, we’re paying for the brand. But it doesn’t have to mean that we want a nice logo on our things; we’re also paying for the familiarity and reliability of the brand name. The same goes for pillows.
Cooling capabilities
Some brands offer pillows that are pretty much the same, but one has cooling foam, is copper-infused, or has another way of cooling you. Cooling pillows are typically more expensive because of materials in addition to having extra capabilities.
Size of the pillow
Some companies only make one-size pillows, which means they only offer Standard pillows (also called Queen). If they have a larger option, it’s the King size. When compared, King and Standard pillow sizes are of the same 20-inch width, with King being 10 inches longer. Some brands have their own sizes. Either way, a larger pillow is always more expensive to make because it uses more materials and that makes it more expensive than the smaller version.
Shipping costs
Shipping costs aren’t included in the item price that you see on the website, but they are added at the end of your purchase and they matter. Unless shipping is free, you should consider the total price as the actual pillow cost. A 100-dollar pillow with a 20-dollar shipping cost is actually a $120 pillow as far as your wallet is concerned.
Customization
Some pillows already come with extra fill that you can use if you want to, and others can be customized by the manufacturer and directly sent to you. Both adjustable pillow types are slightly more expensive; the first type because you get extra materials straight away, and the latter because they take extra time to make the pillow right for every person. Also, if you want a firm pillow and it requires extra fill, you might get a higher quote.
FAQs
The reasonable price for a pillow that’s going to last you for years is about $50-$70.
Depends on what you mean by a lot of money. Pillow prices of around $200 or more would definitely be too much for most people. You might want to do that only if you have a serious condition, excruciating neck pain, or simply cannot fall asleep because you feel like the only problem is that no pillow seems to suit you. Otherwise, it’s definitely worth spending $90 instead of $20 for the perfect pillow.
On average, yes. More expensive pillows often have more expensive fills. Also, better brands tend to use premium materials, which means the best of the best. But when you get into the realm of very expensive pillows, there’s not too much of a difference between them. They’re usually selling you the name at that point.
Conclusion
The average price for a pillow is about $70. This average price shows up because most pillows cost around that much, and because of the lowest and highest price points. This average greatly varies depending on the pillow materials, but also pillow size, brand, and customization options. In general, you should look for a pillow that’s not too cheap but also try to avoid getting ripped off. For most people, it’s not necessary to spend over $100 for an ideal pillow and a good night’s sleep.
Next step: Read our guide to the best pillow for shoulder pain. If you’re not sure how much to spend on a pain-relieving pillow, this is the article for you. We rounded up the top brands and listed pros and cons for each so you can decide for yourself which one is best for you.
With over 5 years experience writing about sleep and mattresses, she's considered one of the go-to experts on the topic.
She likes cycling, nature, art, and languages. She pays special attention to providing you with accurate and useful information when it comes to your sleep quality.
After solving her personal sleep and tiredness problems, she is on to help others by sharing this invaluable information.
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