Granite or Formica are probably your best bet.

Do you live in a major city? You can get prefabricated slabs for cheap.

We live in a rural area and are doing the work ourselves.

Lots of options for looks with laminate countertops, many mimic stone. That is by far the cheapest option generally. Another nice looking but still relatively inexpensive option is butcher block—that’s the one I’ll be putting in my own kitchen to replace my ugly and chipped white tile, until I can afford a more major redo. Or, if you’re a talented DIYer, you can do your own concrete countertops If you like that look. But professional installation of concrete would probably put it out of your budget range.

Whats the closest city? You can get the prefab delivered or pick it up. Depends on your layout, but its sometimes very easy to install without any complicated cuts except the sink and faucet. Maybe there's someone local with the knowledge and equipment to do that part. My handyman can do it.

Exactly what I had in mind Mrs. S. With proper care, I understand that those can be quite durable. I love that look.

Formica is a good low-cost choice. I’m only just now putting in quartzite in my new kitchen, but I have lived with Formica all my life! Butcher block also seems like an attractive option but I’ve never lived with it. You’d have to be careful with how you seal the area around the sink.

Wood counter from Ikea the one that is actually all wood not veneered this kitchen is 17+ yrs old with butcher block from Ikea I ran a catering biz from it for years I oiled near the sink more often still looks awesome.The nice thing is you can DIY it too with simple wood working skills.

I agree with Ephma as my formica was 30 years old when I finally gutted the kitchen.

It actually looked fine - I just took the normal precautions one would take - no hot pots and no cutting on the surface.

My formica had a slightly curved edge so it didn't have the typical seam at the end of the counter.

I don't know what actual net costs would be at this point but there is no reason except snobbery to reject formica and justify based on its durability. I would suspect that most (or many) people replace whatever their counters are after 30 years anyway :-).

There are some amazing colors and styles available in formica now. I used formica for the interior of some of my cabinets as I wanted to be able to scrub down my sink cabinet and my pantry shelves. Take a look at the Wilsonart website for inspiration.

-Formica(I peronally prefer a look that's plain or mimicks texture of, say,fabric, not stone-but that's so very personal..agree there are many cool options now. the coolest ones are more expensive but still)

-Butcher block. I heard though, many times, that the sink would better not be undermount. For durability of wood around it.

-I'd check prices on Corian. Plain, lovely in warm white, easy to care for

-some granites

Obviously will depend too on where the house stands and the style of the kitchen.

IKEA countertops are the best value.

One last thought... I think you’ve got some great advice here already, but if you’re selling the house relatively soon anyway, please also consider who your likely buyers are and what they will be expecting/looking for in a house in your area and at your price point. If you’re not sure, consult a well-respected real estate agent who sells a lot of homes in your neighborhood. They could have some great insight about what will give you your best ROI.

If your potential buyers are first time buyers or young families, laminate or butcher block counters may suit their needs to a tee.

If on the other hand, your home is in a very upscale area, and you’re going to be able to list it for quite a bit, like a million dollars, (give or take a few hundred thousand)... pinching pennies now could hurt you in the end—either with a lower sales price, or sitting on the market longer.

Mid to upper end buyers will most likely be looking for natural stone or quartz countertops, so putting in some extra time and money to find a good deal on a granite slab (but not if it’s super ugly! You don’t want something that will put people off!) May be well worth the investment.

Great kitchens can help sell houses, and a kitchen remodel is generally one of the top ways to increase your home’s value, so worth doing a little more research on I think. Best of luck!

And I always get a kick out of the first time buyers on House Hunters who ask whether formica is granite or whether laminate is hardwood?

Another relatively inexpensive way is to use granite tiles - Because of installation costs, they are much cheaper than slab.

In terms of resale, if you are selling an upscale home, I don't think installing granite counters with inexpensive cabinets is going to make a bit of difference because chances are the buyer is going to want a nicer kitchen. Of course, again that's relative since $1 million in Los Angeles is a starter home whereas $1 million in other places buys a state of the art place with super nice finishes.

When I was redoing my kitchen to sell my house years ago, we painted our old cabinets and got prefab formica counters from HD in a black stone look. The buyers loved it and this was not an inexpensive house either.

The only laminate that will be under 1K is the blanks that you buy off the shelf at the box store. You get the benefit of bulk buying by the tens of thousands for those and their low prices. That will be around $600-$700 with the build up kits, end caps, splashes, join bolts, and all of the other lives that you need. And you doing 200% of the cutting and fitting and installing.

Any special order raw blanks is almost double the price. If you want it ordered cut to size, then add another 50%. If you want it all done by a counter professional, double the cut to size price. And that’s in a plain matte finish.

Laminate isn't a dirt cheap option anymore.

It would be about $1500 here (San Diego) at that square footage for prefab quartz installed.