5 Best Microwaves Under $50 for People with Low Budget

Someone who stays alone in a university dorm or a PG room can’t use a large & expensive microwave. Such people can get a compact microwave under $50 to fulfill their cooking and reheating needs.

A standard microwave costs around $150 to $300 or more depending upon its size, functions and technology. On the other hand, a compact microwave is available under $50 for people with low budget and limited usage.

So, you can get a suitable microwave under 50 dollars for making small meals.

Top 5 Cheap Microwaves Under $50

After conducting a thorough research, I have found 5 cheap microwaves that are available in the budget under 50 dollars. Here I am sharing all 5 microwaves ovens with detailed information about each. I will also share my opinion about each microwave based on my experience of using it.

#1. RCA 0.7 Cu Ft Countertop Microwave

Specification:

Dimensions	17“W x 12“D x 9“H
Food Capacity	0.7 Cubic Foot
Power Consumption	700-Watt
Power Levels	Various
Five (5) Star Ratings	67%

RCA 0.7 Cu Ft Countertop Microwave is a perfect microwave under $50 with all functions of a standard microwave oven. It comes with various auto cook menus, different defrost options, child safety lock and various power levels.

It is a smaller version of a full-functional microwave that offers quick cooking, reheating and defrost of all types of food. It provides 0.7 cubic foot food capacity and an easy to access control panel with a bright display for ease of operation for everyone.

Its glass door allows you to see the cooking process of every food you put into the microwave. It is a compact microwave oven that will fit in any small space. It uses only 700W energy, so it is suitable for dorms, guest rooms, rec rooms and small kitchens.

My Opinion:

After my uncle passed away during covid-19 pandemic in 2021, my aunt lives alone in Vegas. On Christmas 2022, I gifted this RCA compact microwave under $50 to my aunt so that she can cook her all 3 meals in it. I helped her learn how to use it safely.

After one year, I went to my aunt’s place with my family for a week. She told me that this microwave is amazing, she uses it cook all her food and heat up her coffee everyday. She added that it still works like new and I was really glad to see her happy.

I have only one complain that this 700W microwave doesn’t have +30-second button. All functions work great, it cooks and defrosts really well and it’s the best microwave to buy under $50 budget.

#2. Comfee’ 0.7 Cu Ft Countertop Microwave

Specification:

Dimensions	17.3“W x 13“D x 10.2“H
Food Capacity	0.7 Cubic Foot
Power Consumption	700-Watt
Power Levels	11
Five (5) Star Ratings	70%

Comfee’ 0.7 Cu Ft Countertop Microwave is a compact and energy efficient microwave with built-in ECO mode. The ECO mode reduces its power consumption by 50% when the microwave is in standby mode. It has a bright display to show clock, timer and cooking settings.

It has 6 auto cook menus for pizza, popcorn, potato, frozen veggies, beverage and dinner plate. It also has 1-6 minute express cook buttons for quick cooking at full power. 11 power levels make it the best value for money microwave under $50 for safe and quick cooking.

It provides child safety lock to prevent accidental use. It also has +30-second button to cook your food for 30 seconds more when needed. It can thaw frozen food with time defrost and weight defrost functions. The sound on/off button makes it suitable for quiet cooking at late night and early morning.

My Opinion:

I already had a 1500W microwave in my kitchen but I needed a compact microwave for the guest house which is 1km away. I didn’t want to invest much because I am not going to use it as much as I do the main microwave, so I picked this pearl white microwave oven.

It has been 8+ months and my guest house was not empty continuously for a week. I have used this Comfee’ microwave for cooking meat, chicken, eggs, pizza, burger and many other stuff. I loved the way it thaws frozen food, so perfect.

It still works perfectly and the ECO mode really works. I often used it with sound off as my guests are always sleeping when I cook breakfast for them. Without any complaints till date, I found this microwave really impressive for small families and small kitchens.

#3. Avanti 0.7 Cu Ft Compact Microwave

Specification:

Dimensions	17.5“W x 13“D x 9.75“H
Food Capacity	0.7 Cubic Foot
Power Consumption	700-Watt
Power Levels	5
Five (5) Star Ratings	73%

Avanti 0.7 Cu Ft Compact Microwave is an easy to operate microwave oven for small kitchens. It comes with 0.7 cubic foot food capacity with simple push button door release system.

It uses 700W power at its maximum capacity, so it’s perfect for dorms and PG rooms with restriction of electricity consumption. It is compact yet powerful enough to cook any food and also thaw frozen food in the best possible way.

It has two dials on its front, one for timer and the other for power levels. You can set the timer from 0 to 30 minutes at low, medium low, medium, medium high and high power as per your need. It also has defrost option for defrosting frozen food effectively.

My Opinion:

My granny is 70+ now and she asked me to get a simple cooking appliance. So, I selected this Avanti compact microwave with 0.7 cu ft capacity and easy to use design. She needs to cook two small meals everyday and this microwave does it for her.

If I was using this microwave, I must have complained about lack of digital display, child lock, add 30-second and other functions. But my granny is very happy with this microwave oven, she has been using it for more than 10 months and zero complaints.

#4. Alfredx 40W Microwave Electric Lunch Box

Specification:

Dimensions	11.5“W x 5“D x 11“H
Food Capacity	9.2-Liter
Power Consumption	40-Watt
Power Levels	Not Applicable
Five (5) Star Ratings	73%

Alfredx 40W Microwave Electric Lunch Box is a 12V microwave for car, truck, SUV, boat, RV and other places. It provides 9.2-liter capacity to allow one to two persons’ food at once. You can use it anytime, anywhere during travel and camping.

It is powered by a 12V battery, so it takes longer to cook food compared to other microwaves under $50 shared here. It is an electric lunch box with zipper, it contains a heating plate inside and a power plug to go into the 12V lighter port of any car or boat.

It offers simple plug-n-play usage. It can cook raw food and canned soup in 1-2 hours. It can also reheat leftovers in 30-40 minutes and defrost frozen food in 2-3+ hours. So, it is more suitable for people who buy cooked food and need to heat it up before eating.

My Opinion:

My husband works with a pharma company and he has to travel a lot. He doesn’t like cold food, so he asked me to get a compact microwave that he can use in his mini truck. Therefore I bought this Alfrex 12V microwave for him.

It has been six months and he has used it for more than 150 days in his mini truck. This tiny microwave heats up food faster in just 30 minutes. It takes 1 to 2 hours for cooking raw food but my hubby said it cooks like a standard microwave, so the cooking quality is great.

He has never used this microwave for defrosting frozen food, so I don’t want to comment on it. I must say that it is the cheapest microwave among all microwave ovens under $50 that I have shared here with you.

#5. Mainstays 0.7 Cu Ft Compact Microwave

Specification:

Dimensions	17.6“W x 12.7“D x 9.6“H
Food Capacity	0.7 Cubic Foot
Power Consumption	700-Watt
Power Levels	10
Five (5) Star Ratings	61%

Mainstays 0.7 Cu Ft Compact Microwave is a countertop microwave with great features yet low cost. It provides auto cook, express cook, child lock, +30-second and many other features that are useful in your daily cooking needs.

It has 10 different power levels to let you cook food manually. It also has 6 preset menu for auto cooking pizza, potato, popcorn, beverage, frozen dinner and reheat. It uses 700W power and 3 color options of black, red and white to match with your kitchen/dorm interior.

It has child lock function that disables all buttons to prevent unauthorized use when you are not nearby the microwave. It offers 1-6 minute express cooking at full power, while it can also thaw frozen food with time defrost and weight defrost functions.

My Opinion:

I have used all kinds of microwave ovens in past 15 years. So, all my friends and relatives know whom they should ask for buying a microwave. My friend (Shena) asked me for searching a decent microwave under 50 dollars and I suggested her this Mainstays microwave.

After 6 months, even today, Shena is using this compact microwave for cooking food for her and her partner. She appreciates my recommendation as this microwave does all cooking, reheating and defrosting jobs properly. Moreover, it has all required features still it fits in her budget.

I have talked to her on New Year Day and she told me that this microwave has given best value for her money. It does not have sound on/off button, so there is no way to mute the beeps. But it’s a good microwave with all useful features.

Can I Get a Good Microwave Under $50?

Yes, you can get a good microwave under $50 in a compact size. People with low budget often end up buying cheap quality products. So, it is obvious to doubt if you can get a good microwave oven under $50 and the answer is YES.

The standard microwave is larger in size, uses more wattage and offer so many cooking functions. On the other hand, the cheap microwave under 50 dollars is compact, light weight, energy efficient and offers a few cooking functions yet it is good enough to buy for cooking small meals for one or two persons at a time.

If you want to buy the best quality microwave under $50 then do check my recommended 5 microwave ovens. I am going to share top 5 list of microwaves that are cheap in cost yet great in performance.

Is a Microwave Under $50 Durable?

Yes, a microwave under $50 is durable enough to offer best value for your money. When you buy a microwave (or any other gadget/appliance) at a low price, so many doubts come into your mind.

We believe that cheap products are not durable and it turns out to be true many times. However, a microwave under $50 is as durable as a standard microwave because I am personally using such a microwave for last 2 years.

Not all microwaves under 50 dollars are durable, some are high quality and some are not. Therefore I have suggested some good microwaves above. So, you can get a durable microwave oven under $50 by considering my recommended microwaves.

How We Picked Microwaves Under $50

The selection of a standard microwave is easier compared to the selection of a cheap microwave. Because you get so many options and there are experts who have done research on the performance of each standard microwave.

When you want to buy a cheap microwave under $50, it is a bit tough because you don’t get much options. In addition, the cheap microwaves are not as popular as standard microwaves, so less research is conducted on them.

So, doing practical testing and research on microwaves under $50 was a challenge for me. My team and I spent 40 days to find out top 5 microwaves under 50 dollars that are actually worth buying for their safety, performance and durability.

On the basis of my team’s research, I have recommended 5 microwave ovens under $50 that you can consider for your purchase.

Factors to Check When Buying a Microwave Under $50

The microwave brands make a variety of microwave ovens in different sizes. The compact microwaves are available at low prices such as under $50, under $100 and so on. Such microwaves are suitable for small families and tight spaces.

In order to buy a microwave under 50 dollars, you should know your needs first and then check some important factors in the microwave. Here I provide some factors to check when buying a microwave under $50 as under.

Size and Space:

The first and most important factor to check in a microwave is its size. Because you already know the space available in your kitchen or dorm for the microwave, now your microwave under $50 should be compact enough to fit in that space.

In case you don’t know how much space you have for the microwave, check it with a tap measure. Thereafter check the size & dimensions of a microwave you want to buy to know if it will fit properly in your kitchen/dorm or not.

Energy Consumption (Wattage):

The compact microwave is often energy efficient and low cost. You should check the wattage information of a microwave that you aim to purchase for yourself. If you live in a dorm, make sure that the microwave wattage are under the limit of your dorm.

Most microwaves under 50 dollars use around $600 or 700W energy which is allowed in dorms. That’s why I have recommended all low wattage microwave ovens in my under $50 collection so that you can buy it and use it anywhere, anytime without any restriction.

Food Capacity:

The low cost microwaves are compact with limited food capacity. Such microwaves are designed for cooking food for one to two persons at a time. They come with around 0.6 or 0.7 cubic foot food capacity that you can check in its product description.

Because of the limited food capacity, the microwaves under $50 are more suitable for small families, small kitchens, students and people who live alone.

Cooking Functions:

The cheap microwaves don’t have as many cooking functions as the standard microwaves but they still offer some useful functions. You need to check all cooking functions of a microwave to know if it has your needed functions before you decide to buy it.

Some preset menu (auto cook) buttons, different power levels, timer, beverage, reheat and defrost are important functions of the microwave. You may get a full-functional microwave under $50 with all the functions or some of them.

Child Safety Lock:

The child safety lock is an important function that disables all control buttons/dials. By using the child lock, you can prevent your kids from accessing the microwave when you are not in the kitchen.

At the time of purchase, you should make sure that your selected low budget microwave oven has child lock function. It will help to prevent unauthorized and accidental use of the microwave.

Warranty:

At the end, you should also check how long warranty is offered by the manufacturer on its microwave. It is good if you choose a microwave that comes with at least one year limited warranty.

After considering all the factors I have shared here, you will be able to pick one of the best microwaves in your budget.

FAQs about Microwave Under $50

At the time of buying a low cost microwave, you have to be careful. Because a cheap microwave does not have all features of a standard microwave but make sure that it has the features you need the most. Here I provide some FAQs about microwaves under $50 and their answers in brief as follows.

Q.1 Is a microwave under $50 cheap quality?

No, a microwave under $50 is good or decent quality, it has less features than a standard microwave but there is no compromise with its quality.

Q.2 Can a microwave under $50 thaw frozen meat?

Yes, a microwave under $50 can thaw frozen meat with time defrost or weight defrost as you choose. It uses 700W power/energy, so it may take longer to thaw frozen meat compared to a standard microwave oven.

Q.3 How many years does a microwave under $50 last?

A microwave under $50 can last 3 to 5 years depending upon how you use it and if you take care of its cleaning and maintenance.

Ending Words: Get a Good Microwave Under $50

Buying a microwave is easy when you have enough knowledge about its functioning and available products in market. I have explained how good is a low cost microwave and suggested top 5 most recommended microwaves under $50 for 2023.

After checking my honest opinion about each microwave oven, I hope that you have found a suitable microwave for yourself. I have also shared important factors to check when you want to buy a microwave under 50 dollars.

You should follow the buying guide that I have shared above to find your desired microwave at a low price. All 5 microwaves that I have suggested above are good enough to consider for purchase and durable enough to last for years.