A condo has a neighbor under the floor and a board with an opinion about it. Many buildings require a sound rating (IIC and STC minimums) for hard flooring and an underlayment that meets it, so the first question is the rules, not the material. The ranking favors quiet floors and the ones that go over a concrete slab.
Based on: dry living space · several rooms · a concrete slab · quietness, comfort and durability first · a professional install.
Built-in stain resistance with resilience that closes most of the gap to nylon.
Foamed core: warmer, quieter and softer than SPC — and thicker.
Stone-composite core: 100% waterproof and dimensionally rock-steady.
A hard floor without an acoustic underlayment in a building that requires one. Check the minimums before you buy anything.
The full reasoning, the failure modes and the care schedule for each of these are on FlooringFAQ’s guide. This page is the decision; that one is the education.
This ranking assumed a typical version of the situation. Change the rooms, the budget, the subfloor or who is installing it and the order moves. The eight questions start with these answers filled in.
Your flooring choice is only half the equation. Installation, subfloor preparation, removal and transitions change the final price. Local professionals quote the same scope, and you decide whether to talk to any of them.
No obligation. You choose whether to contact the professionals who respond.