Structurally different answers, which is why this site refuses a per-square figure. LVP is usually cheaper INSTALLED because the labour is a fraction of tiling's, even where the materials cost similar money. Tile's cost is dominated by labour and preparation; a bad substrate can double the preparation before a tile goes down. Run both calculators with your own quotes — the material quantity arithmetic is the easy half.

Can I lay LVP over old tile?

Often, and it is one of its best tricks — if the tile is solid and the grout lines are shallow enough not to telegraph through. Deep joints need a skim of leveller first. Tile over old tile is also possible but adds real height and demands the old bed be sound; two masonry layers on a moving substrate crack together.

Which adds more resale value?

Tile reads as permanent and LVP as a finish, and buyers respond accordingly in kitchens and bathrooms. But a crisp new LVP floor beats tired tile every time. Condition beats material; do not tile badly for the valuation.

Honest comparison

LVP vs Tile Flooring

Tile wins on permanence and heat; LVP wins on speed, comfort and forgiveness. The substrate you have usually decides before taste does.

The two floors people actually shortlist for kitchens and bathrooms could hardly be built more differently. Tile is a masonry system: a rigid finish bonded to a rigid substrate, with adhesive, grout and — in wet rooms — a waterproofing layer under it that does the real sealing. LVP is a floating plastic plank that clicks together and touches nothing: it lies on the subfloor under its own weight and moves as one sheet with the seasons.

That structural difference drives almost every practical one. Tile transmits what is under it and punishes a bad substrate; a floor that flexes cracks grout lines first and tiles second. LVP bridges minor sins in the subfloor and forgives them. Tile is repaired by cutting out a piece of masonry; LVP is unclicked back to the damaged plank and reclicked.

Neither is 'the waterproof one' by itself. Grout is not waterproof — wet-area tile relies on the membrane beneath. Most LVP is itself waterproof as a material, but water that reaches its edges finds the subfloor anyway. The honest wet-room answer for both is the same: the layer under the finish does the protecting.

The factors that actually differ

	Luxury vinyl plank	Ceramic / porcelain tile
Substrate demands	Tolerant. Bridges small dips and minor flex; needs flat, not perfect.	Strict. Rigid, flat and stiff or the grout cracks — deflection is the enemy.
Installation labour	Click-together, dust-free, a room in a day; the offcut from one row starts the next.	Adhesive, cuts with a wet saw, grouting the day after; the slowest floor per square metre most DIYers ever lay.
Underfoot	Warmer and slightly resilient; kinder to dropped crockery and standing cooks.	Hard and cold unless heated — but the ONLY one of the two that loves underfloor heating.
Heat and sun	Softens and can fade in hot direct sun; conservatory floors are its weak spot.	Indifferent to heat; the default over underfloor heating and in sunrooms.
Damage and repair	Scratches and dents from furniture points; repair = unclick back to the plank.	Chips on hard impact; repair = grind out one tile — keep a spare box from the same batch.
Lifespan character	A finish with a service life; expect to replace it eventually, easily.	A building element; outlives the kitchen around it when laid on a sound base.

Choose luxury vinyl plank when…

The subfloor is imperfect and you are not rebuilding it.
Speed matters — the room must be back in service tomorrow.
Comfort underfoot and quiet matter more than permanence.
You expect to refresh the look within a decade anyway.

Choose ceramic / porcelain tile when…

Underfloor heating is in the plan — tile is its natural partner.
The room is genuinely wet and you are doing the membrane properly.
You want the floor to be the last one this room gets.
Strong sun or high heat rules out vinyl's soft spot.

Now run your own numbers

This page holds no prices on purpose — a national average is wrong for almost every real project. Quantify both options with your dimensions and your local quotes:

LVP, Laminate & Engineered Floor Calculator →Floor & Wall Tile Calculator →

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper?: Structurally different answers, which is why this site refuses a per-square figure. LVP is usually cheaper INSTALLED because the labour is a fraction of tiling's, even where the materials cost similar money. Tile's cost is dominated by labour and preparation; a bad substrate can double the preparation before a tile goes down. Run both calculators with your own quotes — the material quantity arithmetic is the easy half.
Can I lay LVP over old tile?: Often, and it is one of its best tricks — if the tile is solid and the grout lines are shallow enough not to telegraph through. Deep joints need a skim of leveller first. Tile over old tile is also possible but adds real height and demands the old bed be sound; two masonry layers on a moving substrate crack together.
Which adds more resale value?: Tile reads as permanent and LVP as a finish, and buyers respond accordingly in kitchens and bathrooms. But a crisp new LVP floor beats tired tile every time. Condition beats material; do not tile badly for the valuation.