The cheapest tiles to lay in an Australian home are typically entry-level ceramic floor tiles, peel-and-stick vinyl, and basic porcelain — supply prices start from around $15-$25 per square metre, with installed costs landing in the $60-$100 per m2 range depending on the substrate and the tile size. The catch is that the cheapest tile to buy isn’t always the cheapest tile to lay: small formats, awkward layouts, and uneven subfloors all push the labour cost up. Here’s how the common budget options actually compare.
Ceramic floor tiles
Ceramic is the workhorse of cheap tiling. The body is a softer fired clay than porcelain, which means it’s easier to cut on a basic wet saw and faster for a tiler to lay — that keeps the labour bill down. Entry-level 300×300 mm or 400×400 mm ceramics are the cheapest format to install because they don’t need lippage clips and they’re forgiving on a slightly out-of-flat slab.
Where ceramic falls short: it’s softer than porcelain, so it chips more easily under dropped pans, and the wear rating (PEI) is usually lower. Fine in a laundry, ensuite, or low-traffic kitchen splashback. Less ideal in a hallway that takes the brunt of a busy household.
Porcelain tiles
Porcelain costs more per square metre than ceramic but isn’t as expensive as people assume — Australian importers stock entry-level rectified porcelain in the $25-$45 per m2 range. Porcelain is denser, harder, and water-absorption is below 0.5%, so it suits wet zones and outdoor undercover areas. Timber-look porcelain planks are a popular cheap alternative to engineered timber for kitchens and bathrooms, though you’ll pay more in labour because the long, narrow format is fiddly to lay flat.
If you’re costing a kitchen renovation, our best flooring options for kitchens guide compares porcelain against hybrid and engineered timber for the same room.
Vinyl tiles and peel-and-stick
If you’re chasing the lowest possible all-in cost, vinyl tiles are usually the cheapest finished floor you can lay yourself. Peel-and-stick squares can go straight over a clean, level subfloor with no grout, no thinset, and no trade. The trade-off is honesty: peel-and-stick rarely lasts past five years in a high-traffic room, the seams open up over time, and the adhesive can lift on a humid summer slab.
Loose-lay vinyl planks and click-lock SPC are a step up from peel-and-stick — still DIY-friendly, but properly waterproof and a much longer warranty. If you’re laying over a concrete slab, the install rules change a bit; we’ve covered those in can you lay vinyl on concrete.
Linoleum and quarry tiles
Linoleum is genuinely cheap and made from natural materials (linseed oil, cork, jute backing). It’s not the same product as vinyl — softer underfoot, more forgiving acoustically, and biodegradable. The downside is the look: there’s a limited palette and most of it reads as commercial flooring, not residential. Worth a look in a laundry or playroom; less likely to suit a main living area.
Quarry tiles — unglazed, fired clay in earthy reds and browns — are cheap, hard-wearing, and good in entryways or alfresco zones. They’re slip-resistant, take a beating, and have a country-kitchen look that suits some homes. They’re not for everyone aesthetically, but per square metre they’re hard to beat for a hard-wearing finish.
Where the labour cost actually lives
Tiler rates in Australia generally sit between $45 and $90 per m2 for floor tiling, depending on the city, the tile format, and the prep work needed. Small mosaics and large-format tiles both cost more to lay than standard 300×300 or 600×600 — small ones because there’s more grouting, large ones because they need lippage clips and a flatter substrate. Our tiler rates per m2 in Australia guide breaks down what’s normal in Sydney and Brisbane.
Three things will quietly inflate the install bill regardless of how cheap the tile is:
- Self-levelling compound on a slab that’s out of tolerance — usually $15-$30 per m2 added.
- Removing existing tiles or vinyl underneath, especially if asbestos sheeting is present.
- Waterproofing membrane in wet areas (mandatory under the Australian Standard for bathrooms and laundries).
The honest pick
For a budget bathroom or laundry where the floor will get wet, a basic 300×300 ceramic on the wall and a slip-rated 300×300 porcelain on the floor is the cheapest combination that meets Australian wet-area requirements. For a budget kitchen or living area, an entry-level porcelain plank or a click-lock SPC tile gives you a hard-wearing finish for less than engineered timber. For a quick rental refresh, peel-and-stick vinyl over the existing floor will get you across the line, but treat it as a five-year fix, not a long-term floor.
If the room is one that has to handle real water — a flood-prone laundry, a bathroom, or a kitchen with kids — also have a look at our waterproof flooring options guide before you commit. The cheapest tile that fails in two years isn’t actually the cheapest floor.
Ready to shop? Browse our full tile range online, or drop into our Sydney or Brisbane showroom to see the range in person.