Vanadium oxide-based cathodes are considered as one of the promising materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their high specific capacity and structural flexibility. However, their widespread adoption is limited by cycling stability, low charge/discharge rate, and difficulties in scaling up production. In this study, we evaluated vanadium oxide cathode materials using a proposed scoring system and considering three key criteria: i) manufacturing costs (including capital: equipment, and operational: material cost, energy consumption, synthesis time, and area requirement), ii) electrochemical performance (cycling stability, charge/discharge rate, and specific capacity), and iii) environmental impact (CO2 emissions). Among the options considered, the best results were shown by V2O5·1.6H2O nanosheets obtained by the hydrothermal method, scoring 87.8 points out of a possible 100. The techno-economic analysis of the highest-scoring samples showed that their production cost ranges from $17 to $26 per kilogram, which is equivalent to an energy cost in the range of $55 to $87 per kWh. When integrated into full-fledged battery systems, the energy cost is approximately $145–$177 per kWh, making them potential competitors to lithium-ion and redox flow batteries. The sensitivity analysis showed that synthesis conditions and raw material costs optimization can reduce the V2O5·1.6H2O battery energy cost up to $135 per kWh breaking the $150 per kWh barrier and increasing the attractiveness of AZIB systems for use in large-scale energy storage systems.