We don’t always have a big budget available in order to enjoy the highest quality boots. Furthermore, there’s a lot of cheap footwear out there at attractive prices that often feels too good to be true. Unfortunately, in most cases, they are too good to true…

Having tried numerous pairs of inexpensive bots, we’ve assembled this list of the Best Dress Boots Under $100:

  1. Cuban Heel: Giorgio Brutini Calloway
  2. Chukka Boot: Timberland Earthkeepers Brook Park
  3. Chukka Boot: Nunn Bush Savage Plain Toe
  4. Chelsea Boot: Giorgio Brutini Aaron
  5. Monkstrap Boot: Stacy Adams Kason
  6. Cuban Heel: Giorgio Brutini Blackjack

If a particular pair has caught your eye, you can use the links above to jump ahead. Afterwards, we’ll talk a bit about the price point and what you can expect for your money.

Brown Suede Blue Lace Chukka

Quick Buyer’s Guide

In a hurry and don’t have time to read our detailed breakdown? Use the Quick Buy Guide to be taken straight to the retailers. However, if time is on your side, we recommend that you learn more about each shoe first.

Cuban Heel

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Chukka Boot

Timberland Earthkeepers Brook Park Chukka

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Chukka Boot

Nunn Bush Savage Plain Toe Chukka Boot

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Chelsea Boot

Giorgio Brutini Aaron Chelsea Boots

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Monkstrap Boot

Stacy Adams Kason Monkstrap Dress Boots

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Cuban Heel

Giorgio Brutini Blackjack Dress Boots

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What Are The Best Men’s Dress Boots Under $100?

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1. Giorgio Brutini Calloway [Cuban Heel Boot]

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Overview

Cuban heel boots are stylish and a daring addition to your wardrobe. If you want to channel your inner Latin spirit, these are stunning boots with a full inside zip closure. The uppers are also Cabra kidskin, which provides a supple and flashy appearance.

How To Wear

An elegant choice when wearing business casual or even with a business professional suit, these boots have a particular aesthetic that isn’t for everyone. Nevertheless, they’re particularly stylish and blend seamlessly into they right wardrobe.

Best Colors

Although they’re also available in brown, we have a preference for the black leather. Given their streamlined design, they’re much better as dressier formal boots.

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2. Timberland Earthkeepers Brook Park [Chukka]

Timberland Earthkeepers Brook Park Chukka
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Overview

We’re very fond of these affordable chukka boots from Timberland. Featuring a full-grain leather upper, they’re also designed with the brand’s anti-fatigue comfort technology as well as their ecological Green Rubber outsole.

How To Wear

As chukkas go, these are actually quite dressy. They’ll look great as business casual boots but you could always pair them with a relatively dressed-down suit for a unique and relaxed look.

Best Colors

Only available in black, we think that this is the best possible colour for these boots anyway. This renders them quite dressy especially when taking the budget into account.

3. Nunn Bush Savage [Chukka Boot]

Nunn Bush Savage Plain Toe Chukka Boot
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Overview

This alternative chukka boot style from Nunn Bush offers an elegant touch of brogueing perforations as well as a burnished leather appearance. Using premium leather as well as stylish contrast from the sole stitching, they’re particularly impressive for the price point.

How To Wear

Again, these are boots that can be worn for both business casual and professional wear. We actually find them to be dressier than Timberlands above and would certainly recommend them more for suit wear.

Best Colors

Three colour options are available including black and tan. However, we prefer the brown as they’ll be more versatile across several dress codes. Nevertheless, the black boots offer an extra level of formality, which may be handy if worn professionally.

4. Giorgio Brutini Aaron [Chelsea Boot]

Giorgio Brutini Aaron Chelsea Boots
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Overview

An alternative yet common boot style is the Chelsea, which we’d certainly recommend for more formal occasions over the chukka. Giorgio Brutini offer these wonderfully affordable Chelsea boots that are both stylish and comfortable to wear.

How To Wear

Thanks to the graceful shape of the upper and understated details, these are perfect for business professional wear. However, you can also have them when dressing down as they’ll fit right into business casual styles too.

Best Colors

Despite being only available in black, we feel that this would be the best colour option available anyway. Given that they’re a more formal boot style, this would be the most appropriate colour to choose.

5. Stacy Adams Kason [Monkstrap Boot]

Stacy Adams Kason Monkstrap Dress Boots
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Overview

A unique specimen, the Kason by Stacy Adams is a double monkstrap boot with dimensions similar to chukkas. With a balmoral cap toe and brogueing perforations, they’re very interesting with an original style.

How To Wear

Depending on the colour, they’re either great for casual and business casual wear or more formal occasions. Whilst the tan is quite laid-back, the black would be ideal for both business professional and cocktail attire.

Best Colors

Both colours are great but it depends on your needs. If you’re looking for a relatively formal dress boot, opt for the black. Alternatively, the tan boots are ideal for casual occasions when heading out.

6. Giorgio Brutini Blackjack [Cuban Heel]

Giorgio Brutini Blackjack Dress Boots
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Overview

Another creation by Giorgio Brutini, these Cuban heel boots are a little more subtle than the ones above. If you’re looking for a more understated design, these are ideal. Furthermore, they borrow from Chelsea boots with a slip-on design.

How To Wear

Dressy enough for business professional wear, they’re also great for more casual use. Whether it’s a day out or at a party, they’re very stylish with the right wardrobe.

Best Colors

Whilst we prefer the black boots, the brown shade is so dark that it would work well with more formal attire as well as casual settings.

What To Expect From Budget Dress Boots

Desert Boots Top DownAlthough shoes are an essential commodity, they can also be particularly pricey. Unfortunately, we don’t all have the luxury to be able to splash out on new footwear for daily use or special occasions.

However, we understand the difficulty in being able to afford premium dress boots and much higher prices. Therefore, let’s take a look at what you can expect from dress boots under $100.

Leather Uppers

An major factor that contributes to pair of shoes’ final retail price is the raw materials used to make them. Hides of premium leather are very expensive as they’re graded and sourced from the best specimens. Similarly, each hide has graded areas with their own levels of quality.

Therefore, how do you make boots for less than $100? Usually, shoe manufacturers will rely on the deceptive wording of “genuine leather”. Whilst this does sound quite reassuring, genuine leather is actually one of the lowest grades.

Although genuine leather is perfectly adequate for smaller objects, it isn’t robust enough for footwear in the long-term. This is because the fibres are quite loose and will lose both their form and damage easily over time.

As an alternative to leather, some manufacturers turn to synthetic or “man-made” materials. However, cheaper man-made materials usually of poor quality and damage easily. They also don’t breathe and can be hazardous to your feet’s health.

Meanwhile, premium mad-made materials that cater to the growing aversion towards leather are very costly.

Cemented Soles

Goodyear-Welt-Shoe-Construction-GraphicOne of the most common techniques for attaching a shoe’s upper is achieved via welting. This is a term that applies to various techniques such as Goodyear welting or Blake stitching.

Whilst the Goodyear welt offers the best quality, it’s very time-consuming and impacts the final selling price. Meanwhile, the Blake stitch is faster but still quite expensive for sub-$100 boots.

Sometimes it possible to find cheaper boots that use both of these techniques. However, you’ll usually encounter cemented soles. This is the most common technique that’s used on cheap and athletic shoes where an adhesive putty-like paste will glue the two together.

Although cemented soles are perfectly functional, they don’t last for very long and the shoe will soon begin to split. Furthermore, welts allow shoes to be resoled. However, cemented soles can’t be replaced and the shoes must be thrown away.

Rubber Soles