Carpet or Vinyl flooring

[Mose Gebremeskel]

We're housing hacking and the unit (which is above us) needs new flooring. It looks like the floor is uneven and will need leveling if we go with vinyl flooring. The initial upfront cost would be very costly. However, the carpet is slightly less, with no leveling needed but I fear the constant maintenance in the long run with carpet. Does anyone have any input on which option is better overall? We don't want to spend a ridiculous amount on this.