Publisher: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
Authors: Christopher Herbert, Chadwick Reed, James Shen
Published: July 2023
This report provides a comprehensive, apples-to-apples comparison of the costs of manufactured housing and site-built single-family homes, accounting for home size, design features, transportation, installation, and foundation costs. Using industry survey data and RSMeans construction cost estimates, the authors analyze three types of manufactured homes – single-section, double-section, and CrossMod™ – and compare them with equivalent site-built homes.
The findings confirm that manufactured homes continue to offer substantial cost advantages over site-built housing, even when accounting for higher-end features and permanent foundations. While land costs reduce the relative savings in high-cost markets, manufactured housing remains a significantly more affordable path to homeownership in most U.S. counties.
Key Takeaways
- Single-section manufactured homes cost roughly 35% of comparable site-built homes before land costs.
- Double-section homes cost about 60%, and CrossMod™ homes about 73%, of comparable site-built housing.
- Manufactured homes placed on owned land can appreciate at rates similar to site-built homes.
- Rising land costs reduce, but do not eliminate, the affordability advantage of manufactured housing.
- Zoning barriers and financing access remain major obstacles to scaling production.