Laminate vs Vinyl Plank Flooring: Which Costs Less?
Vinyl plank or laminate? LVP for kitchens, bathrooms, basements and pet homes (it is waterproof); laminate for dry living areas and bedrooms, where its $3 to $13 installed band undercuts LVP's $3 to $16. Room-by-room verdicts plus the full cost comparison.
Planning figures, not contractor quotes. How we calculate
Short answer
Choose vinyl plank (LVP) if the floor will see water or pets: kitchens, bathrooms, basements and laundry rooms, where its waterproof build shrugs off the spills and accidents that swell laminate's wood-fiber core. Choose laminate for dry bedrooms, living rooms and hallways, where the water risk is near zero and its $3 to $13 per square foot installed band (typical project near $8, Angi 2026) undercuts LVP's $3 to $16. The two bands overlap from $3 at the budget end, so pick the room first and let the price confirm the choice.
Cost summary
Estimates per square foot. See the cited sources and methodology before using these figures for a decision.
| Cost level | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Low | $3.00 |
| Typical | $8.00 |
| High | $13.00 |
Calculate your planning range
Enter rates from your own quotes or research. We do not supply unverified local prices.
Vinyl vs laminate: which should you choose?
Start with water, not price. LVP is a vinyl product and waterproof, so water rolls off it. Laminate is wood fiber at its core, so standing water is its enemy: top-tier boards carry water-resistant features (Angi), but water-resistant is not waterproof, and a dishwasher leak does not care about the distinction. That one difference settles most rooms before cost enters the argument, which is why the verdicts come first in this guide and the cost comparison follows as support.
| Room | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | LVP | Leaks and standing water are routine here; LVP is waterproof and laminate's wood-fiber core is not. |
| Bathroom | LVP | Daily splashes and steam make the same waterproofing case as the kitchen. |
| Basement | LVP | Below-grade moisture risk; mid-range rigid-core LVP installs at $5 to $9 (Fixr). |
| Living room | Laminate | A dry, low-risk room; laminate is the value pick at $3 to $8 installed across the budget to mid tiers. |
| Bedroom | Laminate | Water risk is minimal, and thicker laminate boards feel more solid underfoot. |
| Rental or flip | LVP (budget tier) | Budget LVP at $3 to $5 installed (Fixr) ties budget laminate on price and survives tenants better. |
Homes with dogs or kids push even dry rooms toward LVP: spend for a 20 mil-plus wear layer (the premium tier, $9 to $16 installed) and the floor shrugs off the scratches and accidents that age a floor early. Laminate's counter-case is dry-room value: click-lock installs at $5 to $9 (Angi), and thicker boards feel more solid underfoot than thin vinyl planks. For the full LVP tier breakdown, see our luxury vinyl plank flooring cost guide.
Sources: Angi: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost?, Fixr: Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation Cost, HomeGuide: How Much Does Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Flooring Cost? [2026]
Is vinyl or laminate flooring cheaper?
Laminate is usually cheaper upfront. It installs at $3 to $13 per square foot with a typical project near $8, while luxury vinyl plank runs $3 to $16 per square foot with most homeowners paying $5 to $12, per Angi 2026 data, HomeAdvisor, and Fixr. Both start at $3, so the gap only opens at the premium end.
For a 200 square foot room that works out to $1,200 to $2,800 for laminate versus roughly $1,000 to $2,400 for LVP at the $5 to $12 band. On 1,000 square feet, expect $5,000 to $12,000 for mid-range LVP. Budget LVP at $3 to $5 installed costs the same as budget laminate, and premium LVP with 20 mil-plus wear layers reaches $9 to $16.
The real cost answer depends on the room. LVP is waterproof, laminate is not, so a cheaper laminate floor in a kitchen or bathroom can become the more expensive choice if water damage forces a re-do. Price both materials, then add the risk cost of water before you decide.
Sources: Angi: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost?, HomeAdvisor: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost in 2025?, Fixr: Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation Cost, HomeGuide: How Much Does Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Flooring Cost? [2026]
Where the money goes: materials vs labor
Materials tell the clearer story. Laminate planks run $1 to $5 per square foot (Angi), while LVP material spans $1.50 to $10 (Fixr). At the budget end they are nearly identical. At the premium end, LVP costs more because you are paying for thicker rigid cores and heavier wear layers, not just looks.
Labor flips the other way. Laminate installers charge $2 to $8 per square foot (Angi and HomeAdvisor agree), while LVP labor runs $1.50 to $6, with most installs landing at $2 to $3 (Fixr). LVP is often a touch cheaper to install because click-lock floating floors go down fast, and many rigid-core planks ship with attached padding that wipes out the underlayment line item entirely.
Do not forget the extras that sit outside both installed ranges. Old flooring removal runs about $400 to $600 for 200 square feet for laminate jobs (Angi), or $0.50 to $2 per square foot (AskDoss). Subfloor repairs add $150 to $700 on a typical project (Angi). These line items hit both floors equally, so they do not change the comparison, but they change your total.
Sources: Angi: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost?, HomeAdvisor: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost in 2025?, Fixr: Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation Cost, Angi: How Much Does Vinyl Flooring Installation Cost? [2026 Data], AskDoss: LVP Flooring Cost 2026 | Pricing Installation and Durability
Laminate vs LVP: side-by-side cost comparison
The two floors overlap so much that the quality tier matters more than the product type, so here is the comparison at equal tiers. At the budget end they tie: budget LVP installs at $3 to $5 per square foot (Fixr), and budget laminate lands in the same $3 to $5 range. At mid-range, laminate runs $5 to $9 installed per Angi's click-lock data with a typical project near $8, while LVP's most common homeowner band is $5 to $12 (Fixr). At the premium end, laminate tops out near $13 while LVP with 20 mil-plus wear layers reaches $9 to $16.
| Quality tier | Laminate, installed | LVP, installed |
|---|---|---|
| Budget / entry | $3 to $5 | $3 to $5 (Fixr) |
| Mid-range residential | $5 to $9 (Angi click-lock; typical project near $8) | $5 to $12 (Fixr, most homeowners) |
| Premium | tops out near $13 (Angi) | $9 to $16 (Fixr, 20 mil-plus wear layers) |
The same bands scale to whole projects. A 200 square foot room runs $1,200 to $2,800 for laminate on Angi's room table, versus roughly $1,000 to $2,400 for LVP at the most-pay $5 to $12 band. On a 1,000 square foot install, mid-range LVP plans at $5,000 to $12,000; applying laminate's $3 to $13 installed band gives $3,000 to $13,000.
| Project size | Laminate total | LVP total |
|---|---|---|
| 200 sq ft room | $1,200 to $2,800 (Angi room table) | $1,000 to $2,400 (from the $5 to $12 band) |
| 1,000 sq ft home | $3,000 to $13,000 (from the $3 to $13 installed band) | $5,000 to $12,000 (mid-range, from the $5 to $12 band) |
The verdict on cost alone: laminate is usually the slightly cheaper floor at equal tiers, but the gap is a few dollars per square foot, not a different price league. The page's standing verdict still holds: pick the room first, because a cheaper laminate floor that takes water damage in a kitchen or bathroom becomes the more expensive floor when it has to be replaced.
Sources: Angi: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost?, HomeAdvisor: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost in 2025?, Fixr: Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation Cost, HomeGuide: How Much Does Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Flooring Cost? [2026]
The water question: where LVP earns its price
This is the section that actually decides the purchase for most people. LVP is a vinyl product, so water rolls off it. Laminate is wood fiber at its core, so standing water is its enemy. Top-tier laminate boards do carry water-resistant features (Angi lists them at the top of the material tiers), but water-resistant is not waterproof, and a dishwasher leak does not care about the distinction.
Durability beyond water is closer. LVP's wear layer is the main quality dial: 6 to 12 mil on budget planks, 12 to 20 mil on mid-range rigid-core boards, and 20 mil-plus on premium (Fixr). Thicker wear layers resist scratches and dents far longer, and rigid SPC cores handle heavy traffic better than flexible planks. Laminate's dial is board thickness: 6mm boards at $0.70 to $1 per square foot up to 12mm at $2.30 to $6 (Angi), with thicker boards feeling more solid underfoot.
Here is the value math nobody puts in a table. If laminate costs you $8 per square foot installed and LVP costs $10, LVP is 25 percent more today. But if a pet accident or a slow plumbing leak forces you to replace a laminate floor in five years, the cheaper floor was the expensive one. In dry rooms, that risk is near zero and laminate wins on price. In wet rooms, it is the whole argument.
Sources: Angi: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost?, Fixr: Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation Cost, HomeGuide: How Much Does Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Flooring Cost? [2026]
Which floor for which room
Bedrooms, living rooms, and hallways: laminate is the value pick. You get the wood look for $3 to $8 per square foot installed at the budget to mid tiers, and water risk is minimal. Click-lock laminate at $5 to $9 installed (Angi) covers most of these rooms comfortably.
Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements: choose LVP and do not overthink it. Mid-range rigid-core LVP at $5 to $9 installed (Fixr) is built for exactly these rooms. Glue-down LVP costs more in labor but suits heavy-traffic areas, while click-lock floating floors are the standard choice for most homes (HomeGuide). For basement-specific material math, see our basement flooring cost guide.
Homes with dogs, kids, or both: LVP again, and spend the extra for a 20 mil wear layer. The premium tier at $9 to $16 installed hurts once, while scratched and swollen floors hurt every day. If the budget is truly fixed, mid-range LVP at $5 to $9 still outlasts budget laminate in a high-chaos house.
Rentals and flips: buy on price, but buy smart. Budget LVP at $3 to $5 installed (Fixr) costs the same as budget laminate and survives tenants better. Peel-and-stick LVP at $1 to $7 for material (HomeGuide) is the cheapest path of all for small rooms on smooth subfloors.
Once you have picked a material, run your room dimensions through our flooring cost calculator to turn the per-square-foot bands above into a line-item project estimate.
If hardwood is still on the shortlist, our carpet to hardwood floor cost guide prices the full carpet-to-wood swap at $12 to $30 per square foot all in, removal included.
Sources: Angi: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost?, Fixr: Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation Cost, HomeGuide: How Much Does Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Flooring Cost? [2026]
What these numbers can and cannot tell you
Every figure above comes from the same datasets behind our standalone laminate and LVP guides: Angi's 2026 contractor data, HomeAdvisor, Fixr, HomeGuide, Thumbtack, and AskDoss. Confidence is medium, not high, because these are marketplace and publisher datasets, not a controlled national survey. Fixr's laminate page references 2023 in its copy, so its $6 to $14 band may reflect older pricing than Angi's August 2026 update.
The comparison leaves out subfloor replacement, stair installation, furniture moving, and water-damage remediation. Regional labor rates move both totals the same direction, so the gap between the two floors is more stable than either absolute number. Get three itemized quotes with labor and material as separate line items before you commit, and re-verify pricing before signing anything.
Sources: Angi: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost?, Fixr: Cost to Install Laminate Flooring, Fixr: Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation Cost, Angi: How Much Does Vinyl Flooring Installation Cost? [2026 Data]
Sources
- AskDoss: LVP Flooring Cost 2026 | Pricing Installation and Durability (accessed 2026-10-04)
- Fixr: Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring Installation Cost (accessed 2026-10-04)
- Angi: How Much Does Vinyl Flooring Installation Cost? [2026 Data] (accessed 2026-09-29)
- Angi: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost? (accessed 2026-09-29)
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) Flooring Cost? [2026] (accessed 2026-10-04)
- Fixr: Cost to Install Laminate Flooring (accessed 2026-10-01)
- HomeAdvisor: How Much Does Laminate Flooring Installation Cost in 2025? (accessed 2026-10-01)
Frequently asked questions
How much does a flooring project cost?
Choose vinyl plank (LVP) if the floor will see water or pets: kitchens, bathrooms, basements and laundry rooms, where its waterproof build shrugs off the spills and accidents that swell laminate's wood-fiber core. Choose laminate for dry bedrooms, living rooms and hallways, where the water risk is near zero and its $3 to $13 per square foot installed band (typical project near $8, Angi 2026) undercuts LVP's $3 to $16. The two bands overlap from $3 at the budget end, so pick the room first and let the price confirm the choice.
Why is there a cost range instead of a single price?
Project costs move with scope, finish level, and local labor rates. This guide splits the national planning range into low, typical, and high levels, and the scope sections explain what pushes a project toward each end. Use the range to budget, then collect itemized contractor quotes for your exact project.
Are these figures contractor quotes?
No. They are national planning ranges compiled from published, cited sources, shown with their assumptions and limitations. Treat them as a budgeting starting point, not a bid. Our methodology page explains how every figure is sourced and reviewed.
