Hi jovan,
I have never gone through the exercise to make a choice in this budget range so I really don’t know what I would choose. I do know that I would follow the same steps in the tutorial post just like I suggest for anyone else. My finalists would be based on the type of materials I prefer, on which mattress I was reasonably confident would be a good match for me in terms of PPP, which mattresses don’t have any lower quality materials or weak links relative to their budget range, and then to choose between my finalists I would compare them based on all the other criteria that were important to me. If my budget was limited I would make the same tradeoffs as anyone else and focus on which combination of materials were the “best possible” in my budget range with a focus on the feel, performance, and durability of the upper layers.
Even if I had gone through the specific process of choosing a mattress in your budget range though … my own needs and preferences would likely be very different from someone else and a mattress that works well for me may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on. My focus on this site is to help educate the members here about “how” to choose based on the criteria and preferences that are important to them … and not “influence” them about “what” to choose (and suggesting what I would do is no different from making a specific suggestion).
My own specific choices would also have a disproportionate “weight” on a site like this and there would be too many people who would believe that just because I would choose a specific mattress or combination of materials that it would somehow be a better choice for someone else which of course wouldn’t be the case.
I can tell you that I tend to prefer the “feel” of Talalay latex with relatively softer comfort layers and that I tend to prefer some type of quilting material on top to create a more “relaxed” sleeping surface and feel but my own preferences may be completely different from someone else. My daughter for example prefers the “feel” of sleeping on Dunlop latex and some of the other people I know that are among the most knowledgeable in the industry prefer the feel or memory foam or of innerspring support cores with their favorite material on top of the springs (such as memory foam or latex) in the specific combination that works best for them.
Everything is relative to each person’s unique needs, preferences, and criteria and it would be a real mistake to choose a mattress based on preferences or criteria that are important to someone else (no matter who they are) but may not be a good choice for you.
There are just too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to make specific suggestions for someone else based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or “theory at a distance” (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here) … so instead of trying to do something that isn’t possible … I just don’t do it at all.
Phoenix