Sourcing guide · 7 min read
The cheapest prefab homes, and what they really cost
The lowest-cost prefab types ranked, indicative factory pricing, and how to get the cheapest landed cost without buying a regret.
“Cheapest” is really two numbers. There's the FOB pricea factory quotes for the unit on the ship, and there's the landed cost: what it takes to stand it up on your site. The cheapest unit to buy is not always the cheapest home to own, and the gap is where most “bargains” disappear. Here are the genuinely low-cost prefab types, real price ranges, and how to source the lowest number without buying a regret.
The cheapest prefab types, ranked
Cost tracks one thing above all: how densely it ships. Ocean freight is priced per container, so a unit that folds flat and packs several to a box beats a finished, rigid one on price every time. Cheapest first:
| Type | Indicative FOB / unit | Why it's cheap |
|---|---|---|
| Flat-pack container | ~$1,000–$5,000 | Ships as flat panels, several per 40ft; a bolt-together steel shell. |
| Folding / expandable | ~$6,000–$20,000 | Travels folded, unfolds into a full room in hours; best floor-area-per-container. |
| Basic light-steel modular | ~$10,000–$25,000 | Simple finished module; cheap structure, one or few per container. |
| Capsule / A-frame / dome | $25,000+ | Design-led and often oversize: the premium end, not the budget one. |
So the outright cheapest prefab home is a flat-pack container unit: a basic single-room steel box from around $1,000 FOB. The cheapest unit you'd actually live in is usually a folding or expandable house: more money up front, but it arrives as a real home and still ships efficiently.
Why the cheapest FOB isn't the cheapest home
A $3,000 flat-pack unit doesn't cost $3,000. Add ocean freight, import duty and inland delivery, roughly 30 to 60% on top of FOB, and then the on-site costs the factory price never shows: a foundation, a crane to set it, and water/power/waste hook-ups. That same unit commonly lands nearer $5,000–$8,000 at the port, before the slab and the trades. The full stack is in what a prefab home really costs.
How to actually get the lowest price
- Buy the pack, not the unit. Choose a model that ships flat or folds. Four small expandables per 40HQ carry a quarter of the freight each. Avoid oversize units that need a flat-rack.
- Order more than one. Per-unit FOB, freight and brokerage all fall with volume; a single unit carries the whole container's freight.
- Mind the destination. Freight and duty vary a lot. Australia lands cheaper than the US East Coast, and US buyers should price in the Section 301 tariff. See import duties by country.
- Buy the shell, finish locally when labour is cheaper at home than shipping a fully fitted-out (and heavier, pricier) unit.
When cheap is a false economy
The lowest-cost units are basic shells: thin insulation, simple glazing, minimal fit-out. For a site office, a camp, storage or a seasonal rental, that's exactly right. For an insulated, year-round dwelling, a rock-bottom shell can cost more once you add insulation, better windows and code-compliance work. A cheap unit on an expensive foundation is still an expensive project. The honest play is to match the spec to the use, then get competing factory quotes on that spec.
Browse the entry-band models on All Prefab, or tell us your use, destination and budget and we'll bring back matched quoteswith a landed-cost figure, so you're comparing the number that actually matters.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest prefab home you can buy?
Flat-pack container units are the cheapest. Basic single-room steel units start around $1,000 to $5,000 FOB, because they ship dense (several per 40ft container) and assemble fast. They are a shell, not a finished home, so they suit site offices, camps, storage and simple rentals more than a turnkey residence.
What's the cheapest prefab home that ships to the USA?
The same flat-pack and folding container units, but budget the landed cost rather than the FOB sticker: ocean freight (around $2,900 per 40HQ to the US West Coast), the base roughly 2.9% duty, and the US Section 301 tariff on Chinese-origin goods, plus your foundation and hook-ups. The cheapest FOB unit can still land at two to three times its original price.
Are cheap prefab homes from China any good?
The cheapest units are honest basic shells — fine for offices, camps and rentals, and a poor choice as an insulated year-round residence without upgrades. Quality varies far more by factory than by price, so verify certifications and real production photos and use a pre-shipment inspection rather than chasing the lowest number blind.
How much does the cheapest prefab home cost delivered?
Take the FOB price and add roughly 30 to 60% for ocean freight, duty and taxes and inland delivery, then add your site works (foundation, crane, water, power, waste). A $3,000 flat-pack unit commonly lands nearer $5,000 to $8,000 at the port, before the foundation and hook-ups that make it livable.
Indicative only
Figures here are planning ballparks, freight rates, duty schedules and lead times change. For a firm landed number on a specific model and destination, send a quote request and our sourcing team will confirm with the factory.
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