Wow, I've worked in the office furniture industry for over 15 years and never thought I would see a post about office chairs here. Anyway, I've worked at Herman Miller and Steelcase (currently employed) and can tell you, the chairs they make are worth the extra money. It seems crazy to spend $400-$1000 on a chair, but you won't beat the quality and engineering that goes into them. Trust me, the research that goes into seating posture would blow your mind, plus the chairs would last easily for 20+ years and are warrantied up to 300lbs.
Without getting too technical, the portion of the chair you sit on is designed not only for comfort, but to properly support your pelvis/spine, which is what you need to have proper posture (and no pain). Most cheap chairs try to accomplish this by shoving a pad in your lower back, which will work for only a short time.
Cheap office chairs are like the Ouya of the office world, save your body by getting a good chair.
Feel free to ask me any questions about seating, I know way more than I care to admit.
Edit: One last thing, comfort does not equal good for you/pain free. Cheap chairs are designed to feel great when you first sit in them, but the foam used is cheap and softens as you sit, which creates less support and turns into back pain.
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