The Best Jeans You Can Get for Under $100

For a few years there, trying to find the best jeans for men felt a lot like getting into fancy wines. Point of origin suddenly mattered: was the denim milled in

Japan or America? There was confusing terminology to learn—raw, selvedge, ring spun—and a whole whack of weird rules to follow, like never washing your jeans for the first six months. Oh, yeah, and the price tags on these artisanal dungarees were not unlike what you’d find on a well-aged bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape: wallet-busting.

Thankfully, stylish dudes in the know have mostly moved on from that level of denim geekery. Jeans are back to just being jeans: knockabout, utilitarian, the kind of thing you can dress up on a dinner date or pull on for a hungover Sunday without a second thought. More corner store beer than fine wine. As long as they look good, who cares how much they cost? You think Dennis Hopper ever wondered if his jeans were chain-stitched by hand? Of course not!

These days, your chief considerations should be fit—look for pairs that are slim and slightly tapered through the leg—and the wash, which you’ll want to appear as natural as possible. That means no more Jersey Shore bleach-heavy fades, with all that uber-fake “whiskering” across the thighs. Instead, your jeans should look like you broke them in yourself—or be dark enough that you actually can break them in yourself. To give you a head start, we’ve tracked down all the go-anywhere, do-anything, all-around best jeans for men under $100—most of which you can pick up, right now, at your local shopping mall.


The Best OG Jeans

Levi's 501 '93 straight jeans

$90$61
Levi's

Would a denim roundup even be a denim roundup without a pair of Levi’s in the mix? The first name in jeans have taken their iconic 501s and modernized them juuuust a pinch—think less “painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa,” and more “putting free wifi in the Louvre.” The silhouette here is meant to mimic jeans from the early ‘90s, but it’s pretty much bang-on for 2020: they sit a little higher on your waist, with a timeless straight leg fit that hits the ideal middle ground between old-timey railroad worker and calf-circulation-averse emo frontman. Beyond that, you pretty much know what to expect here: five pockets, hardy denim (with a hint of stretch for comfort), au naturel wash that’ll look damn good with everything you own. Classic American jeans served up at a classic American price.


The Best Slim-But-Not-Too-Slim Jeans

Gap slim jeans with GapFlex

$70$35
Gap

Gap kicked off this whole “quality jeans at an inoffensive price” movement a decade ago, and they keep the party rolling with these medium-wash crowd pleasers. Worried you’ve got too much, ahem, “power” in your legs to squeeze into any of these slim-fit jeans? This pair was engineered to look great on the broadest range of body types: not too snug, not too loose. Not for nothing, there’s also a lived-in character to these jeans that’s hard to come by—they’ll feel like a familiar old fave right from the jump. That’s the denim equivalent of what NBA stat heads would call an “intangible.”


The Best Entry-Level Japanese Denim

Uniqlo selvedge classic fit jeans

$50$30
Uniqlo

Remember all those highfalutin denim details we mentioned up top? These guys actually come fully loaded with a bunch of them. Flip up the cuffs, and you’ll find selvedge—that’s the white-and-red striping running up the seams—and chain stitching, AKA those tiny loops of yellow thread along the circumference. Both are hallmarks of high quality (read: more expensive) jeans. Add to that a wider-legged, more relaxed fit—something we're loving more and more in our denim—and you've got a knockout pair from the kings of Japanese fast fashion.



The Best Stretchy-But-Won't-Stretch-Out Jeans

Everlane slim fit jeans

$68
Everlane

Jeans this uniformly dark are normally stiffer than moonshine and about as comfortable as a root canal. Thanks to a clever infusion of stretchy elastane, Everlane’s signature Japanese denim gives you that pristine indigo look—which cement these as the most office-appropriate pair of the bunch—without any of the sandpapery breaking-in period. By that same measure, they’re also surprisingly sag-resistant: you can wear them every day of the week, and they’ll never lose their flatteringly lean shape. Pair ‘em 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 happy hour.


The Best Beat-to-Hell Jeans

Polo Ralph Lauren "Varick" slim straight jeans

$90
Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren lives in jeans. He wears ‘em with big western shearlings and Scottish tweeds, with classic dinner jackets and wild naval blazers. And, so, he also makes jeans with the exacting eye and abiding care of someone who really, truly loves his denim. Even the Varick, the budget-friendliest model in the RL lineup, come complete with the convincing worn-in wash and perfect hip-hugging fit you’d normally find on a jealousy-inducing vintage find. Only you have to know you got them fresh off the rack for less than 100 big ones.


The Best True-Blue Dad Jeans

Lee relaxed fit straight leg jean pants

$30
Amazon

If you're still riding the Dad Wave™, don't mess around when it comes to jeans and get yourself a pair of Lees. The denim is hardy, the fit is boxy, and the wash is perfectly uniform, without any crazy distressing. Most importantly, they'll only set you back a mere $30—because we all know affordability is the sine qua non of a great dad jean.


The Best Jeans for Putting In Work 

Stan Ray original painter pant

$95
Stan Ray

Stan Ray's been hawking its hardwearing, American-made garms since the 1970s. You've probably seen its famed painter's pants if you've ever walked under some scaffolding or sipped a latte in your hippest local cafe. While the off-white version is without question the most iconic, this raw denim rendition is possibly even better—and will keep getting better the longer and harder you wear 'em. With all the storage space you could ever need and a truly roomy silhouette, it's best served with a baggy sweatshirt and classic sneakers.


The Best Rodeo-Ready Jeans

Wrangler Cowboy cut 13MWZ original fit jeans

$19
Amazon

This is the jean of choice for Super Bowl stars and real-ass cowboys alike. Wranger's bootcut jeans are iconic thanks to their hip-hugging top block and flared hems, which pool over a pair of boots like a denim fondue. The denim is a dense, 100% cotton fabric that can handle its own on and off a saddle, with or without a center crease. If you want to go especially hard, we recommend serving them up the way a young Harrison Ford would've: with a western belt, a plaid blazer, and a pair of serious movie star shades.


The Best Vintage Jeans

Levi's Secondhand 505 regular fit jeans

$36
Levi's Secondhand

At long last, you can cop a killer pair of vintage Levi's straight from the source. Following in the footsteps of brands like Patagonia and its WornWear program, the first name in denim introduced this platform for buying used and vintage Levi's garms late last year. Not only does it represent a serious step toward a circular fashion economy that should hopefully help move the environmental needle, it's also the easiest way to get your legs into great jeans that absolutely no one else will own.


16 More Jeans Under $100 We Love

Tellason Stock slim tapered fit

Stiff as a board and built to last, these USA-made jeans are the logical next step once you've mastered Levi's famed Shrink-to-Fit 501s.
$99
Tellason

Carhartt WIP Klondike regular tapered jean

A Goldilocks slim cut in a deep shade of black.
$89
END.

Todd Snyder straight fit Japanese stretch selvedge jean

Normally, these high-end jeans wouldn't be in the same shelf as a pair of sub-$100 jeans.
$198$97
Todd Snyder

Drop Ibara slim rinse denim

A pair of Japanese selvedge denim jeans with enough nerdy details (and an insanely good price!) to cement serious grail status.
$129$70
Drop

Dickies regular fit 5-pocket jeans

If you like the cut of Dickies' popular work chinos, you'll be a fan of this 5-pocket jean variant.
$32$23
Amazon

COS wide-leg jeans

When wide just isn't wide enough.
$99
Cos

COF Studio M1 Slim Fit Jeans

Top-of-the-line components like Candiani denim and Riri hardware make these some of the most spec'd-out jeans you can buy.
$190$76
Verishop

Harmony black Dorian jeans

Nothing like a good raw hem for some extra texture.
$170$87
SSENSE

Abercrombie & Fitch bootcut jeans

A softer—and arguably better-tailored—bootcut alternative to the tried-and-true Wranglers above.
$79
Abercrombie & Fitch

Edwin ED-39 regular loose jean

Does a wash more tasteful than this even exist? We highly doubt it.
$155$99
END.

Levi's 501 Original Shrink-to-Fit jeans

The OG 501s are designed to mold perfectly to your legs after a quick dip in the tub.
$36
Amazon

J.Crew Mercantile slim-fit stretch jean

From the 'Crew's more affordable Mercantile line, these offer a slim-straight fit, just the right amount of stretch, and a sub-$30 price tag.
$26
Amazon

Banana Republic athletic tapered rapid movement denim jean with COOLMAX technology (was $129, 45% off at checkout)

Woven with special fibers designed to keep you cool in the humid depths of summer.
$129$70
Banana Republic

Lee dad jeans

Not all black jeans need to be jet black and rockstar tight—it's good to have an easy-wearing, well-washed pair in the mix for the weekend, too.
$44
Amazon

Edwin "Marlon" jeans (was $258, 72% off)

If you're a size 28, 30, or 36, hurry and scoop up this crazy deal on a killer pair of Japanese jeans.
$258$71
Verishop

Mother The Neat cuff ankle fray jean

Why risk taking scissors to your vintage Levi's when you can just cop these instead?
$92
Amazon

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