A king mattress is 76 by 80 inches and a queen is 60 by 80, so the king is 16 inches wider and no longer. On a queen, two adults share 30 inches each. On a king each gets 38 inches, the width of a twin XL apiece.
The price gap is smaller than people expect. On the ten Merit Home Furniture mattresses listed for Duncan in both sizes, the king costs $250.00 to $800.00 more. The frame, the sheets and any adjustable base add their own step, and the room and the stairs often settle it before price does.
Queen vs king mattress size next to the double and California king
A queen vs king comparison makes more sense with the neighbours in view. These are the standard North American sizes the Better Sleep Council publishes, with the room each takes on one wall.
| Size, in | Per adult | Wall* |
|---|---|---|
| Double (full), 53 x 75 | about 27 in | 93 in |
| Queen, 60 x 80 | 30 in | 100 in |
| King, 76 x 80 | 38 in | 116 in |
| California king, 72 x 84 | 36 in | 112 in |
Per adult is for two adults sharing. *Wall is the mattress plus two 20 in nightstands, before the frame.
The king is the biggest surface of the four, at 6,080 square inches against 4,800 for a queen. That works out to about 27% more bed. The California king is longer but narrower, so it gives up a little area to the king.
At Merit, as elsewhere, a double is what the trade also calls a full. It is the next size down from a queen. The Better Sleep Council calls it a tight fit for two, since each partner gets about the width of a crib. Sealy Canada lists its queens and kings at 79.5 inches long, half an inch under the nominal 80, so some of our listings give that figure.
Is a king or a queen mattress better for two people?
For two adults, a king is better whenever the room and the stairs allow it. The Better Sleep Council describes the king as the choice for couples who want the most personal space. It describes the queen as a fit for couples who need less.
Movement is a big part of that. A study in the journal Sleep tracked 46 couples for eight nights with wrist monitors. About a third of the movements landed in the same 30 seconds for both partners.
The same couples mostly said they slept better with the partner there than apart. The study measured bed sharing, not bed width, so it says nothing about whether a king changes those numbers. Anyone losing sleep night after night should talk it over with a doctor before blaming the mattress.
Why does a king feel so much bigger than a queen?
A king feels bigger because the 16 extra inches land in the middle, between two sleepers. Two adults on a queen fill it shoulder to shoulder. On a king, the same two people have room left over, and that spare strip is what each one notices.
Do most couples have a king or a queen bed?
We have not found a Canadian count of couples by bed size, so we won't guess. Our own Duncan listings show what makers build. Our Duncan store lists 14 mattresses, all Restwell or Restonic. Every one comes in a queen, and 10 come in a king. That is a supply figure, not a record of what couples buy.
Queen or king by body type and sleeping profile
Your body type and sleeping profile, meaning the position you sleep in and how much you move, decide how much of those 30 inches each sleeper actually uses. A broad-shouldered back sleeper fills more of it than a slim one. A side sleeper who draws the knees up reaches across the middle, and a stomach sleeper with arms out takes the most.
Where a queen is enough
Two people who sleep fairly still, a bedroom near 10 feet across, or an upstairs room behind a tight turn. One sleeper alone also does well on a queen, with 60 inches to spread across.
Where a king earns its space
Partners on different schedules, one restless sleeper, a larger build, or a child or dog who climbs in by morning. A wall of at least 10 feet leaves a walkway at the foot and sides.
Height rarely decides it, since the queen and king share the same 80-inch length. Someone well over six feet who wants more length is looking at a California king, at 84 inches long.
What a king costs over a queen on our Duncan listings
These are live Merit Home Furniture prices for Duncan-available pieces, read October 16, 2026, before applicable taxes. For a split king adjustable base the king figure is two twin XL bases, because that is how it is built.
| Piece | Queen / king | Step up |
|---|---|---|
| Restonic Prestige mattress | $1,049.00 / $1,449.00 | $400.00 |
| Restwell Starling mattress | $1,449.00 / $1,749.00 | $300.00 |
| Restwell Savannah Plush | $1,549.00 / $2,299.00 | $750.00 |
| Mako Claudette platform bed | $999.00 / $1,099.00 | $100.00 |
| Restwell Peak base | $1,249.00 / $1,998.00 | $749.00 |
| Health Guard sheet set | $129.00 / $159.00 | $30.00 |
| Cotton Touch protector | $109.00 / $129.00 | $20.00 |
Put the Starling, the Claudette bed, the sheets and the protector together and the queen set is $2,686.00. The king set is $3,136.00, a difference of $450.00.
Across the 35 Duncan bed frames that price the king higher, the middle step is $200.00. Mattresses from the other makers belong to our other stores. The Beautyrest Iven, a firm pillow top, comes in both sizes at our Campbell River store, which gives its best price on either one by phone. Price sorting works on every queen we list and on every king we list.
When a king mattress turns out to be the wrong size
A king in a room just over 10 feet across fits on paper and leaves no walkway. In that room a queen gives back 16 inches of floor beside the bed.
A tight landing or a narrow hall can stop a king foundation. Sealy Canada makes its king foundations in two pieces for that reason. The mattress itself bends a little; the headboard and rails do not.
A metal frame without a centre leg. Sealy Canada requires a sturdy frame with centre support under queen and king sets to keep the full warranty.
A split king on an adjustable base nearly doubles that line, as the Peak shows in the table. Two bases is still the right order when partners want their heads at different heights.
Leftover queen bedding. A king needs its own sheets, protector and duvet, and the protector sized to a king is part of the set. Feel is a separate question from size, and matching a mattress to the sleeper covers firmness and build.
Where the queen and king figures come from
- Better Sleep Council, mattress sizes (dimensions and space per partner), checked October 2026.
- Sealy Canada, FAQs (79.5-inch lengths, two-piece king foundations, centre support), checked October 2026.
- Pankhurst and Horne, The influence of bed partners on movement during sleep, Sleep, 1994, checked October 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture product listings for mattresses, beds, adjustable bases and bedding, live prices read October 9, 2026, and the Duncan delivery terms.
Trying a queen and a king together in Duncan
The quickest answer comes from both of you lying on each size in your usual positions. A call ahead tells you which queen and king models are set up at the Merit store you plan to visit. Duncan keeps its doors open Monday to Saturday, 9 to 5, if both of you want to come in together.
Delivery from our Duncan store is $150 across the Island with assembly included, or a free pickup at the door. A mattress going across the Island may need a different shipping method, and a Gulf Islands address needs a call first, since only some islands are reachable. A queen or king mattress order takes 2 to 3 weeks to come in.
Call the Duncan store, (250) 746-5527
The rest of our mattress guides are on one page, and our mattress and sleep listings show which beds come in both sizes.