I feel like Goldilocks

I need some suggestions for the right mattress.
I notoriously struggle with them. I bought a $1200 mattress at a local store 5 years ago and by the time I realized it was wrecking my back, it was too late to return so I sold it to my roommate. (I felt like I was sinking in it, it had too much give.) So I purchased a cheap Siena memory foam mattress, it was a bit too firm so i purchased a Lucid gel foam topper/ down alternative topper combo and this helped but I still had some low back pain (not nearly as bad as with the other mattress though).

Last year I moved in with my partner, and he has some fancy king size mattress that’s old and at first I really liked it, but as time progressed I woke up daily with terrible hip pain. It feels comfortable when I’m in it, but the hip pain is awful. We’ve flipped it and switched sides a few times to no success. We know it’s time for a new mattress.

The last few months I’ve been sleeping on the couch. I got sick a few months ago and slept out there to keep him from getting sick but I found it actually is very comfortable. It’s an older couch made with feather down. The way it contours my hips, I wake up with no hip pain. I can prop myself up with pillows in such a way on my side that I don’t have back pain either and I don’t snore (but I snore terribly in bed, but I figure I just need a different pillow set up in bed like a wedge).

I’m a stomach/side sleeper and my partner sleeps in all the positions. He is finding the mattress to be painful now too, mostly in his back and says he can feel the springs.

I know we need something medium firmness (I’ve slept on super firm mattresses but my arms fall asleep when I’m on my stomach) but I’m really afraid to buy something and hate it again. I slept on a Nest Owl Hybrid a few years ago at an Airbnb and loved it so I am considering that, I just hate the price. I’ve done all the online quizzes and been suggested Winkbed Luxury Firm, Helix Midnight Elite, Helix Dusk Elite, and Leesa Sapira. I’ve also looked at the Dreamcloud Luxe Hybrid.

Anyway, sorry for the lengthy post, I’m just really worried about hating another mattress. I’d really love to sleep in bed with my partner again 😭 anyone else have a similar sleeping dilemma they’ve solved?