Amazon's $13 Towels Are The Best Budget Towels You'll Find Anywhere

This set of soft, quick-drying towels is the perfect affordable option for people with small bathrooms, college students, pet parents, or anyone who wants a little color in their life.

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Bath towels get more skin contact than a nudist at a cuddle part, and investing in the right ones will make your butt and your bathroom extremely happy.

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If you're on a budget, though, you might consistently find yourself searching high and low for affordable towels that aren't thin and scratchy and that will actually last.

But you're in luck! Because we've found the best wallet-friendly towels, and they're available on everyone's favorite destination for literally every product in existence, Amazon — and they'll only set you back a measly $13 for a set of three.

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We recently tested a whole bunch of towels in similar price points (check out BuzzFeed Reviews for all three of our picks for best bath towels), and this 100% cotton AmazonBasics set came out on top for a number of reasons.

First off: A quick lesson on GSM. The weight of a towel is measured in GSM, or grams per square meter. The higher the GSM, the denser the threads. While a higher GSM doesn’t always mean the towel is softer, more absorbent, or even physically thicker, it does usually correspond with price. The higher the GSM, the more expensive (sort of like thread count for sheets).

AmazonBasics Quick-Dry Towels are 400 GSM, which makes them lightweight to medium-weight towels. Medium-weight towels are usually as absorbent as heavier weights (700 GSM or more) when made from 100% cotton, but they’re lighter and they dry faster, which is great for small or poorly ventilated bathrooms — or people who just leave towels lying around the house (no shame, just being real).

And they're also great for pets and other creatures that get gross and smelly, since they’re cheap enough to replace now and again!

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D'aww.

The towels in this set have a nice waffled border that doesn’t get in the way, and they're available in eight colors — so if boring ol' white isn't your thing, you've got plenty of options. We're not the only ones who can confirm these bath towels will give you the best bang for your buck: Amazon customers have spoken, and they too know it's true.

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"This is like drying yourself off with a microfiber/fleece comforter; omg it’s so soft! I’ve bought 'moisture-wicking' towels from box stores and they were great, hence why I went with quick-dry again. But I was not expecting how soft this is! I washed it before using to see if it would stay that way and it did. No issues at all with drying, except that it’s so soft I don’t feel like I’m actually drying myself lol, and no issues with fuzz either. We’ll see how long it lasts like that, but it’s amazing right now!" —cmh88

"These were MUCH nicer than I'd even expected. They are extremely soft, color is identical to the pics, size is as described and the thickness is perfect." —LisaR

"I purchased two sets of these towels with high hopes to match our guest bathroom. I thought the picture (for Lake Blue) looked a bit turquoise-y. I was pleasantly surprised, as there is zero greenish-tone to the blue, it is a true deep sky blue. The towels are thick, good sizes, but not overly plush, to the point you feel like you are not drying yourself off, and the lint in the dryer after the first wash was not too much at all, typical of a new set of towels. I would say they are nicer than you'd expect for the price. Purchasing two more sets, to have extra for guests. I also bought the matching AmazonBasics Non-Slip Microfiber Shag Bath Rug, 21" x 34", Lake Blue, and it matches nicely." —nycgatita

"Great towels, which begs the question: Why are other towels so effing expensive?" —nlc

Additionally, these AmazonBasics towels are made in an Oeko-Tex Standard 100 factory, an independent certification program that tests household fabrics and materials for more than 300 known harmful substances.

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Note that the towels themselves are not Oeko-Tex Standard 100-certified (likely because they’re a private-label brand from Amazon and they didn’t apply for the recognition).

If you’re looking for a towel that’s low-lint, high-durability, decently soft, quick-drying, high-absorbency, and fade-resistant…well, you’ll need to pay a little extra to get all those things. Cheap towels are almost always linty, especially after the first few washes, so we suggest washing in hot water and drying them alone until the fibers have shed their winter coats, so to speak. And while some are fairly fade-resistant over time, there are a lot of cosmetic and household chemicals that can discolor even (and maybe especially) expensive towels. But with all that in mind, these AmazonBasics Quick-Drying Towels get a whole lot of things right, and that’s why they’re a fantastic low-budget pick.

Get the three-piece set from Amazon for $12.99 or an eight-piece set for $25.99 (available in eight colors); sets of bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths also available to purchase separately.

And check out BuzzFeed Reviews to see our picks for the best bath towels across three price categories!

Looking for the perfect gift for any occasion? Check out all of BuzzFeed’s gift guides!

Allison Krausman / BuzzFeed