That said, we were pleasantly surprised to turn up a few cheap pairs of mens jeans made from selvedge denim, the slow-made version that’s often woven on increasingly rare shuttle looms. We’ve included a handful of wallet-friendly selvedge options in the mix below.
As for the other bells and whistles—they’re just that. At sub-$100 prices, your two biggest concerns should be fit (based on your body and preferred style) and wash. You’ll want the latter to be as simple as possible. That means no Jersey Shore-style bleach-heavy fades or intensely fake “whiskering” (the lighter lines across the thighs). The best cheap jeans should look like you broke them in yourself—or dark enough that you can break them in yourself.
Below are our favorite all-around best cheap jeans for men under $100—most of which you can pick up, right now, at your local shopping mall.
The Best Cheap Jeans, Overall
Levi’s invented the jeans category—the begetter of blue jeans!—and thanks to the 501’s straight-leg fit, it’s every bit as relevant today as it was when it debuted in the late 1800s. You can choose your fighter.
The OG Shrink-to-Fit model asks for some DIY energy to grant you a flawless fit. Size up 2-3 inches in your waist, put them on, and go sit in a tub of warm water (seriously). After 10-15 minutes, get out and let the Levi’s dry on your body. They’ll shrink down to your normal size, forming to your body. Technically you could skip the bath and just wash them before your first wear, but you miss out on the stupid story and denim molding head-start. From then on, wear your 501 Shrink-to-Fits as hard as you can and wash ’em every couple of weeks. (Definitely not with whites, and definitely don’t put them in the dryer.) Eventually, they’ll probably end up as the best-fitting, best-feeling pair of jeans you own, at any price.
Or, skip the shrinking and buy the standard-issue 501s. They don’t come in the same super-dark version, but there are plenty of rinses, all pre-shrunk and ready to wear out of the box.
The Best Stretchy Jeans That Won’t Stretch Out
What sets apart Everlane’s elastane-enhanced jeans from its comfort-focused competition is that they’re also surprisingly sag-resistant: you can wear them Monday through Sunday, and it’ll be a long, long time before this pair loses its flattering lean shape. That’s great, because the subtle wash cements these as the most office-appropriate pair in our cheap jeans round-up. Everlane’s pristine indigo look is simple enough to work with anything, at any time. If you’re looking for a weekday business casual suggestion, try them with a tweed blazer, knit tie, and equally-crisp white sneakers for a fit that’ll take you from a meeting with your boss straight into post-work drinks with your most gossipy colleagues.
The Best Cheap Selvedge Denim Jeans
It’s rare to find selvedge denim under $100, but Uniqlo remains a hero to fans of high-quality, low-cost jeans. Selvedge denim takes longer to make than regular denim—and as a result, usually costs more—because it’s woven on looms that leave a densely-woven, non-fraying self edge (that tell-tale stripe on the outer leg seam, usually white and red, and flexed with an upturned cuff). You should care about selvedge for at least one reason, maybe two: because it’s pristine denim that you get to wear in yourself, and because denimheads will see it and give you a nod of approval.
Uniqlo’s selvedge is mid-weight, a little crispy, and imbued with a hint of stretch to keep it from choking out your thighs while it wears in. It’s sanforized, too—denim jargon for “pre-shrunk,” so you don’t have to worry about washing them. Little touches like gunmetal hardware and reinforced belt loops make Uniqlo’s stretch selvedge jeans feel more premium, too.
The Best Athletic-Build Jeans
For those riding the menswear Dad Wave™ or for those with thicker-thighed bodies, get yourself a pair of Lees. The fabric is hardy, the fit is boxy and perfect for athletic builds, and the wash is blissfully uniform, without any crazy distressing. Most important, they’ll only set you back $30. Because we all know affordability is the sine qua non of a great dad jean.
The Best Slim (But Not Too Slim) Jeans
Gap kicked off this whole “quality jeans at a nice price” movement more than a decade ago, and it keeps the party rolling with these medium-wash crowd-pleasers. This pair was engineered to look great on the broadest range of body types: not too snug, not too loose. (Which makes them the rare slim jeans that are flattering for those with plenty of “power” in their legs.) Not for nothing, there’s also a lived-in character to Gap’s Slim Jeans that’s hard to come by—they’ll feel like an old friend right from the jump. And who doesn’t like spending time with an old friend?
The Best Double-Knee Jeans
Carhartt’s been doling out tough-as-nails, real-deal workwear for well over a century. On top of its famed Detroit work jackets and duck canvas double-knee pants, the brand also knows how to engineer some solid denim. The 15-ounce denim on these utility jeans is the heaviest on this list—and that’s before you factor in the double-layered knee panels. You’ll feel the extra heft—but you can bet that these jeans will last forever and only look better with every wear. Though they’ll win your heart from day one thanks to a classic rise (not too high, not too low) and a finely-tuned relaxed fit that’s airy without looking messy.
The Best Boot-Ready Jeans
This is the jean of choice for Super Bowl stars and real-ass cowboys alike. Wrangler’s bootcut jeans have become legends of the range thanks to their hip-hugging top and flared hems, which pool over a pair of boots like a denim fondue. The dense, 100-percent cotton denim comes in a few weights: the lightest is a standard 12 ounces, but most of the Cowboy Cut’s options sit at a beefier 14-15 ounces—a rarity for cheap jeans under $100, never mind under $50. If you want to go especially hard, serve them up like a young Harrison Ford: with a western belt, a plaid blazer, and a pair of movie star shades. Or remember that “bootcut” is just a suggestion, and lean into the Wranglers’ groovier side with a pair of canvas sneakers and a vintage tee.
Best Vintage Jeans
Levi’s 170 years of history means the world is full of vintage denim with plenty of lives left to live. Following in the footsteps of brands like Patagonia and its WornWear program, the first name in denim introduced its Levi’s Secondhand platform for buying used and vintage jeans. It’s a welcome nod of eco-awareness, particularly considering how much energy and water goes into making denim. And on that immediate gratification tip, Levi’s Secondhand is also the easiest way to score sourced-and-stamped vintage when you don’t have the time or energy to trawl the local thrift shops. If you’ve got your own Levi’s gear that deserves a new home, you can trade it in for a gift card, too.
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