Based on aggregated data, laminate and luxury vinyl plank (LVP) are the two closest-priced hard flooring options on the market. Laminate materials cost about $1 to $5 per square foot and LVP about $2 to $7 per square foot, and once labor is added both usually land at $3 to $7 per square foot installed. For a typical 200-square-foot room that is roughly $800 to $2,400 either way.
Because the price ranges overlap so much, cost is rarely the deciding factor. The real differences are water resistance, feel underfoot, and scratch resistance.
Cost Comparison
| Factor | Laminate | Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) |
|---|---|---|
| Material (per sq ft) | $1–$5 | $2–$7 |
| Installed (per sq ft) | $3–$7 | $3–$7 |
| 200 sq ft room | $800–$2,400 | $800–$2,400 |
| Cheapest tier | Budget laminate | Budget sheet-style LVP |
At the budget end, basic laminate is usually the cheapest option that still looks like wood. In the mid and premium tiers, laminate and LVP cost about the same installed.
What Drives the Price for Both
- Material tier. Thickness, wear-layer rating, and finish realism move material cost more than the laminate-vs-LVP choice itself.
- Installation method. Both use click-and-lock floating systems that install quickly; glue-down LVP costs more in labor.
- Subfloor prep. Uneven subfloors need leveling before either floor goes down, adding $1 to $3 per square foot.
- Layout complexity. Stairs, diagonal patterns, and rooms with many cuts raise labor for both.
Where They Differ (Beyond Cost)
| Feature | Laminate | LVP |
|---|---|---|
| Core | Wood-fiber (HDF) | Waterproof PVC |
| Water resistance | Water-resistant; can swell | Waterproof |
| Scratch resistance | Higher | Lower (can dent) |
| Feel / sound | Harder, louder | Softer, quieter, warmer |
| Best rooms | Dry, high-traffic (halls, bedrooms) | Kitchens, baths, basements |
| Lifespan | 15–20 years | 10–20 years |
| Refinishable | No | No |
The Gap Between Them, by City
Comparing the two on national averages hides the part that actually decides a budget. Laminate and LVP carry almost the same labor — both are click-and-lock floating floors that go down at a similar rate — but LVP’s materials cost roughly twice as much. So the gap between them is a materials gap, and materials do not move with the local labor market.
The practical consequence: the cheaper the local labor, the more the choice between laminate and LVP matters as a share of the bill. In an expensive-labor metro, the material premium is a rounding error against the install; in a cheap-labor one, it is most of what separates the two quotes.
| City | Labor Adjustment Factor | Laminate Installed (typical room job) | LVP Installed (typical room job) | LVP Premium | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | 1.33 | $2,165 | $3,260 | $1,100 | +33% |
| Seattle, WA | 1.29 | $2,120 | $3,205 | $1,085 | +29% |
| New York, NY | 1.23 | $2,055 | $3,120 | $1,070 | +23% |
| Phoenix, AZ | 0.99 | $1,790 | $2,785 | $995 | −1% |
| Atlanta, GA | 0.92 | $1,710 | $2,690 | $975 | −8% |
| San Antonio, TX | 0.85 | $1,635 | $2,590 | $955 | −15% |
Typical whole-job figures from the project data: materials held flat at the national figure, labor scaled by the metro factor. The premium column is the difference between the two.
Labor adjustment factors are derived from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025): the median ratio of local to national hourly wages across the trades that do this work. How this is calculated.
Both figures assume a sound, level subfloor. Where it is not, the leveling adds $1 to $3 per square foot to either floor and swamps the difference between them — see subfloor replacement for what that work costs when it goes beyond leveling.
Which to Choose
- LVP suits moisture-prone spaces — kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements — where the waterproof core is the deciding property, not the price.
- Laminate suits dry, high-traffic living areas, where the harder wear layer resists scratches from pets and furniture.
- On a tight budget, the tables above put a number on the trade-off: price both at the same tier and compare against what the subfloor needs first, since that line item moves the total more than the material choice does.
Related Flooring Costs
The full cost breakdowns for each of these floors, including per-square-foot rates by room size, sit on their own pages: laminate flooring installation at $900 to $3,200 for a typical job, and vinyl plank installation at $1,500 to $5,500. Both are among the options ranked on cheapest flooring options, and both are priced against every other material on the flooring hub. The calculator adjusts any of them for a specific metro; the methodology explains what that adjustment is measured from.