What is the average price of a home in your neighborhood?

Good points by stephja. Also neither will "add" resale value in terms of you'll be able to sell the place for more money. What a good tile job with a quality product will do, is make it easier for you to sell so it doesn't sit on the market for months and months.

I've had both, and while I love the look of marble, I didn't love worrying about taking care of it properly. I did an etch test on marble and granite when I was considering it for a countertop in the bathroom or kitchen, and the etching quickly made me decide to skip the marble. So I compromised with a good looking porcelain that looks like marble. Plus, I was able to get matte for the floors so I didn't have to worry about slipping. If you're building the house for a quick sale, then resale would be an issue. If you're going to live in it a while, I'd get what you like.

You can't guess what the potential owner will like, so I'd say go with porcelain. It's considerably less expensive than marble, and I like it better -- I always think marble looks old, and not in a good way.

Cheap marble or cheap porcelain along with a shotty install job will not add value.

I don't think the OP indicated she was going with cheap materials or a lackluster installation job (at least not on purpose).

Thanks for all the comments! The average prices in the neighborhood for new houses is between 1-3 millions. The choice is between good quality/installation of either. I will be living it, but might sell it after a year. If you can add comments with the new info, please do so. Thanks!!!!

I would look at pictures of houses for sale and Especially those that have only been listed for a short time and have a contingent or pending status in the neighborhood and compare.

Honestly in your price range, unless you're in a very HCOLA area like San Francisco or Manhattan, I'd go with the marble. People in that price range expect the real thing. Although, again a caveat. If it's a more contemporary home, then the real thing isn't as critical.

Marble can be incredibly slippery on a floor when wet; I wouldn't have it in my house at any price.

I'm new to this forum but thought I'd chime in. In our beach community most of the new houses have porcelain or marble in the bath. I think the porcelain looks so much better. It has a cleaner look and it's much easier to care for. Your marble may be quite etched even after just one year and so could end up looking a bit tatty when you go to sell. It's one thing for a marble lover to say that etching doesn't bother them, but when it's someone else's etches......idk.

Marble is an upkeep nightmare. Porcelain does not cost near as much. They both look the same. Kind of narrows it down don't you think?

This klutz agrees with rwiegand - no marble floors for me! It's the slip factor...