Genuinely good houseplants under $20

68 of 100 species in this database qualify

68 of our 100 species qualify. Air plant ranks first on lowest typical entry price first. Typical prices run $4 to $90.

What this list actually means

Entry prices here start at $15 or less at ordinary retail. Prices are hand-checked ranges rather than live figures, and they move with pot size more than with anything else — the same species is $8 in a 4-inch pot and $40 in a 10-inch one.

Ranked by price range usd, difficulty, rarity — lowest typical entry price first, then least demanding. Ordering is derived from database fields and we do not accept payment for placement. Our pre-publish check rejects commission, payout, EPC and CPC as sort fields, so that promise is enforced rather than merely stated.

#	Plant	Light floor	Water	Pet safe	Difficulty	Typical price
1	Air plant Tillandsia ionantha	Medium	5–10d	Yes	Moderate	$4–15
2	Polka dot plant Hypoestes phyllostachya	Medium	4–7d	Yes	Easy	$5–15
3	Turtle vine Callisia repens	Medium	4–9d	No	Easy	$6–20
4	Flaming Katy Kalanchoe blossfeldiana	Bright indirect	9–16d	No	Easy	$6–20
5	African violet Streptocarpus ionanthus	Medium	5–10d	Yes	Moderate	$6–20
6	Mexican snowball Echeveria elegans	Bright indirect	12–24d	Yes	Moderate	$6–18
7	Nerve plant Fittonia albivenis	Low	3–6d	Yes	Moderate	$6–18
8	Baby’s tears Soleirolia soleirolii	Low	2–6d	Yes	Moderate	$6–18
9	Zebra haworthia Haworthiopsis attenuata	Medium	14–24d	Yes	Easy	$8–25
10	Inch plant Tradescantia zebrina	Medium	5–9d	No	Easy	$8–20
11	Lucky bamboo Dracaena sanderiana	Low	5–10d	No	Easy	$8–30
12	Ladyfinger cactus Mammillaria elongata	Bright indirect	14–30d	Yes	Easy	$8–25
13	Ox tongue Gasteria bicolor	Medium	14–24d	Yes	Easy	$8–25
14	Ripple peperomia Peperomia caperata	Low	7–14d	Yes	Easy	$8–25
15	Purple shamrock Oxalis triangularis	Medium	6–11d	No	Easy	$8–25
16	Bunny ears cactus Opuntia microdasys	Direct	18–35d	Yes	Easy	$8–30
17	Jelly bean plant Sedum rubrotinctum	Bright indirect	12–24d	No	Easy	$8–22
18	Strawberry begonia Saxifraga stolonifera	Low	5–10d	Yes	Easy	$8–22
19	English ivy Hedera helix	Low	6–11d	No	Moderate	$8–25
20	Creeping fig Ficus pumila	Medium	4–9d	No	Moderate	$8–25
21	Florist’s cyclamen Cyclamen persicum	Medium	4–9d	No	Demanding	$8–22
22	Caladium Caladium bicolor	Low	4–9d	No	Demanding	$8–25
23	Pothos Epipremnum aureum	Low	7–14d	No	Easy	$10–25
24	Spider plant Chlorophytum comosum	Medium	7–10d	Yes	Easy	$10–25
25	Heartleaf philodendron Philodendron hederaceum	Low	7–12d	No	Easy	$10–30
26	Aloe vera Aloe vera	Bright indirect	14–28d	No	Easy	$10–30
27	Arrowhead vine Syngonium podophyllum	Low	6–11d	No	Easy	$10–30
28	Elephant bush Portulacaria afra	Bright indirect	10–21d	Yes	Easy	$10–35
29	Jade plant Crassula ovata	Bright indirect	14–28d	No	Easy	$10–45
30	Asparagus fern Asparagus setaceus	Medium	4–9d	No	Easy	$10–28
31	Watermelon peperomia Peperomia argyreia	Medium	7–14d	Yes	Easy	$10–30
32	Tree aeonium Aeonium arboreum	Bright indirect	9–18d	Yes	Moderate	$10–35
33	Baby rubber plant Peperomia obtusifolia	Medium	9–14d	Yes	Easy	$12–30
34	Christmas cactus Schlumbergera truncata	Medium	7–14d	Yes	Easy	$12–35
35	Chinese money plant Pilea peperomioides	Medium	6–11d	Yes	Easy	$12–35
36	Burro’s tail Sedum morganianum	Bright indirect	14–28d	Yes	Easy	$12–35
37	String of hearts Ceropegia woodii	Medium	10–18d	Yes	Easy	$12–35
38	Crown of thorns Euphorbia milii	Bright indirect	10–21d	No	Easy	$12–40
39	String of bananas Curio radicans	Bright indirect	12–21d	No	Easy	$12–35
40	Goldfish plant Nematanthus gregarius	Medium	6–11d	Yes	Easy	$12–35
41	Prayer plant Maranta leuconeura	Low	4–8d	Yes	Moderate	$12–35
42	Calla lily Zantedeschia aethiopica	Medium	4–8d	No	Moderate	$12–40
43	Table fern Pteris cretica	Low	3–7d	Yes	Moderate	$12–35
44	String of turtles Peperomia prostrata	Medium	9–16d	Yes	Moderate	$12–40
45	String of pearls Curio rowleyanus	Bright indirect	12–21d	No	Demanding	$12–35
46	Rex begonia Begonia rex	Low	5–10d	No	Demanding	$12–40
47	Maidenhair fern Adiantum raddianum	Low	2–5d	Yes	Difficult	$12–30
48	Snake plant Dracaena trifasciata	Low	14–21d	No	Easy	$15–45
49	Chinese evergreen Aglaonema commutatum	Low	9–16d	No	Easy	$15–60
50	Satin pothos Scindapsus pictus	Low	7–12d	No	Easy	$15–45
51	Golden barrel cactus Echinocactus grusonii	Direct	18–35d	Yes	Easy	$15–90
52	Dragon tail plant Epipremnum pinnatum	Low	7–12d	No	Easy	$15–50
53	Mistletoe cactus Rhipsalis baccifera	Medium	7–14d	Yes	Easy	$15–45
54	Peace lily Spathiphyllum wallisii	Low	5–7d	No	Easy	$15–40
55	Moth orchid Phalaenopsis amabilis	Medium	5–10d	Yes	Easy	$15–50
56	Wax plant Hoya carnosa	Medium	10–18d	Yes	Easy	$15–60
57	Dumb cane Dieffenbachia seguine	Low	7–12d	No	Easy	$15–50
58	African milk tree Euphorbia trigona	Bright indirect	14–28d	No	Easy	$15–45
59	Bird’s nest fern Asplenium nidus	Low	4–9d	Yes	Easy	$15–45
60	Scarlet star Guzmania lingulata	Medium	7–14d	Yes	Easy	$15–40
61	Sweetheart hoya Hoya kerrii	Medium	12–21d	Yes	Easy	$15–50
62	Polka dot begonia Begonia maculata	Medium	5–10d	No	Moderate	$15–45
63	Rattlesnake plant Goeppertia lancifolia	Low	4–8d	Yes	Moderate	$15–45
64	Croton Codiaeum variegatum	Bright indirect	6–11d	No	Moderate	$15–50
65	Ti plant Cordyline fruticosa	Medium	6–11d	No	Moderate	$15–50
66	Lipstick plant Aeschynanthus radicans	Medium	6–11d	Yes	Moderate	$15–40
67	Coffee plant Coffea arabica	Medium	5–10d	No	Moderate	$15–45
68	Boston fern Nephrolepis exaltata	Low	3–6d	Yes	Demanding	$15–40

Prices are hand-verified ranges, not live figures, and move with pot size more than anything else. No affiliate links appear on this page because we have no merchant relationships yet; when that changes, disclosure appears before the first one.

Why air plant tops the list

Scores 3 of 5: it needs no pot and no soil, and it is killed by the two things people do — sitting it in a closed glass globe with no airflow, and leaving water in the crown after soaking. Soak for half an hour, then shake it out and dry it upside down. It takes medium light as a floor and water every 5–10 days, and it is stocked almost everywhere at $4–15.

Full entry for air plant — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority we consulted, and propagation.

Commonly recommended for this, and shouldn't be

Every one of these is sold everywhere and appears on other lists for this purpose. Each fails on a field in our own database, stated below.

Corn plant Dracaena fragrans

starts around $25 and runs to $80 — worth the money, but not this list.
Dragon tree Dracaena marginata

starts around $25 and runs to $80 — worth the money, but not this list.
Tree philodendron Philodendron bipinnatifidum

starts around $25 and runs to $90 — worth the money, but not this list.
Weeping fig Ficus benjamina

starts around $25 and runs to $90 — worth the money, but not this list.

None of these are bad plants. They are bad plants for this, and the difference is the whole point of the list. Buying one for the wrong spot is the commonest way people conclude they cannot keep houseplants.

Other lists

Every list →

Sources

This database's own care records for the 68 species listed — light floor, watering interval, humidity, difficulty and mature size are the fields the ranking uses. Each species entry cites its own authorities.
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification, cited per species on each entry
North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — poison severity where published
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder — cultivation and pest records

Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Ranking is derived from database fields. We do not accept payment for placement, and the pre-publish check rejects payout as a sort field. How this is sourced.