I'm in Los Angeles, we have high prices, but also lots of competition in the stone industry.

I just used Taj Mahal in my kitchen remodel. I paid $8000 for 3 slabs that were 114" x 78" each. Labor for fabrication was $9000. So the total I paid was $17,000.

If you look at raw material plus labor I paid around $92/sq.ft

If you measure finished counter surface only and add labor then the math gives you around $156/sq.ft

In my area customers can buy the material directly from the stone yards. I then chose my fabricator and he picked up the slabs and just charged me for his labor for fabrication and installation. Most other areas force you to go through the fabricator as the middleman.

My project got delayed and the fabricator stored my slabs at his shop for free for 8 months.

Calcutta is super expensive. Carrera is cheaper but still not cheap. You can do a quartz mimic in the $100/sq ft ballpark. Around $150 for tm doesnt seem crazy.

I would be going some place else, not because of the price, but because they don't even know their prices! Even if the software is acting up, if you know your business and products, you would notice that a quote didn't look right and was close to half the actual price. It looks like they throw darts at a board and come up with a price ...

You keep calling it "marble" like they're all under one umbrella. Calacutta marble is about the most expensive marble there is. It is def not "around $80". Depending on your location, it's going for $400+. Echoing what Drb477 said above, if you want more reasonably-priced marble, look at Carrera marble instead.

You did the same thing with "granite". Which ones? There are a thousand varieties and they look very different from one another and can have very different maintenance requirements ranging from almost-none to a lot.

I recommend before you plunk down tens of thousands, you educate yourself more on the properties of the different stones. What is your kitchen like? Can you post a pic, a drawing, or describe your choices for cabinets, floors, and the size of your kitchen?

Final note - it could be that this fabricator doesn't want your business for whatever reason, so they are making it a bit harder for you.

Some good advice above. I just had to let my client know that Taj doubled their custom stone costs due to:

1. 2-3x material cost vs budget,

2. significant upcharge for mitered edges required for satin stone (vs layered works for polished)

Fabricator also mentioned that TM slab prices have been moving around due to a strike in the country of origin as well as tariffs. Client was shopping slabs at some large suppliers and they varied significantly, were in short supply and moving quickly.

Is the stone you're selecting reasonable for the market value of your home? If not, is the premium worth the extra? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

When I was shopping for granite, in my area there was significant variation in the cost of the same stone amongst suppliers.