Economical finishing materials can be obtained most anywhere in the country. Some locales are easier than others. But store returns, discounts, resell shops, craigslist, etc, materials can be scavenged here and there. It can take time, but it can be done.

Labor, that's a whole different topic. While labor prices can vary across the country, choosing the lowest bidder in your area can be problematic when dealing with wet areas like showers and tub surrounds. While there are low bidders that do excellent work, the risk is there are low bidders who should have their tools confiscated. They butcher wet area work.

A sloppy paint job is cosmetic. Sloppy waterproofing? Over time, water leaks can cause structural issues for the house and health issues for those living in the house.

Tiles? One expensive box of tile might be rectified with precise dimensions tile after tile, a less expensive box might be non-rectified and the tiles might be off dimensionally 1/16th or even an 1/8th inch between tiles in the box. While they both will shed water equally well in a shower, they will certainly have different requirements for grout lines. But both can give you a fine shower.

In the end, a porcelain tile is, for the most part, a porcelain tile.

Labor? Don't shop solely on price. Shop on a proper installation, and within those bidders that know how to build a proper shower, you can bid on price.

Mongo gives excellent advice at all times. I am a DIYer and could not have done it without help from Mongo on multiple occasions!

You might be able to do some of the work or provide support to the carpenter/remodeler, and save some money. You could do the demo or cleanup, etc.

whats been said before on gardenwed: ETA

Quality—Cost—Time

...pick 2. What I mean, is that you can have quick and quality, but it will cost you. You can have quality and cheap, but it won't be speedy. If one wants quick and cheap, the quality won't be there.

I have looked at the Habitat Restore by me, and even purchased my kitchen sink there. They often have large quantities of 4" square white tile and often some trim, as well. When buying discount tile anywhere, just make sure that the different brands or colors you are trying to mix are the same thickness.

Nice sinks can always be had there. Toilets a-plenty, too. Even tubs at times. Sometimes new items are there, donated by stores that changed their stock or they were returns. If you don't have a Restore near you, look to see if any thrift stores carry such things, then haunt Craigslist. When making a Craigslist buy, you can often get the seller to meet you somewhere with the goods, and many police departments are making their parking lots "Craigslist Trading Zones." Even if yours hasn't , the parking lot in front of your local cop shop is a good place to meet a Craigslist seller.

If you need any help, just ask and we can assist.

Out of style doesn’t equal disgusting. That’s reserved for actively leaking or moldy and unclean.

The first place to stretch your budget is in adjusting your expectations. If it works, and just isn’t pretty, then it is not a priority to change. Period.