I have both in my house but my husband managed the finances, so I can't really say what the cost difference was, if any. But, knowing him, he would have gone with the cheapest. We have both painted wood and vinyl shutters upstairs and natural wood in the basement. They have all worn well (about 10 years) and we have some crazy weather conditions here in Colorado. I don't know that I can recommend one over the other. I do think the vinyl seems to get a little dirtier than the painted wood however. The vinyl seem to cling to fingerprint oil and it's sometimes a little harder to get off. The painted wood are easy to clean with a slightly damp cloth. I would mention that the salesman showed us a newer type of shutter where the "stick" that you use to open and close them is off to the side so that it doesn't disrupt the view. I do like that not having it run right down the middle.