New manufactured homes averaged $115,557 nationally in 2025, with single-section models coming in around $95,074 and multi-section homes closer to $156,170. In California and across the West Coast, that number climbs to roughly $149,300.
These figures cover the home unit itself. Land, site prep, permits, and utility hookups can add tens of thousands more depending on your situation and location.
What the Purchase Price Actually Covers
The base price of a manufactured home includes factory construction, delivery, and installation. After that, what you pay depends on your land situation, local regulations, and finish level.
| Home Type | Typical Price Range |
| Single-wide | $57,000 – $95,000 |
| Double-wide | $115,000 – $165,000 |
| Triple-wide or modular | $150,000 – $250,000+ |
| Used mobile home | $40,000 – $80,000 |
The costs that catch buyers off guard most often:
- Site preparation: Land clearing, grading, and leveling typically runs $4,000 to $11,000 depending on the condition of the lot.
- Foundation: Most lenders require a permanent foundation, which costs $5,000 to $20,000 depending on whether you go with a slab, crawl space, or basement.
- Utility connections: Hooking up water, sewer, and electricity to an undeveloped property often reaches $10,000 to $30,000 or more in California.
- Land or lot costs: Buying private land ranges from a few thousand dollars to well over $100,000. Leasing a spot in a mobile home community typically runs $300 to $900 per month, with the national average sitting in the $400–$600 range.
- Delivery and installation: Full-service transport and setup usually runs $5,000 to $14,000, varying by home size and distance from the factory.
It adds up fast. An all-in budget of $150,000 to $250,000 is realistic for most California buyers, even for a modest floor plan on owned land.
Buying in California: What Changes
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufactured Housing Survey tracked average prices for new manufactured homes in the West Census Region at around $149,300 as of late 2025.
That’s already above the national average, and California’s permitting costs, impact fees, and site requirements push the total further.
Inland markets like Riverside and parts of the Sacramento Valley give buyers more flexibility than coastal neighborhoods.
Still, there’s no escaping the state’s construction environment. Impact fees alone can run $1,500 to $10,000 on new development of vacant land, and utility connections in undeveloped areas are rarely cheap.
Manufactured Home vs. Site-Built: A Quick Comparison
| Manufactured Home | Site-Built Home | |
| Avg. price (2025) | $95,000 – $165,000 | Median ~$414,000 / Avg. ~$532,000 |
| Build time | 2 to 4 months | 8 to 12 months |
| Financing | FHA, chattel, conventional (with permanent foundation) | Conventional mortgage |
For buyers who prioritize affordability and are comfortable managing the setup process, a manufactured home on owned land remains one of the more accessible paths to homeownership available today.
HUD Code, Financing, and Why They’re Tied Together
Every manufactured home built after June 15, 1976 must meet federal construction and safety standards.
HUD’s manufactured housing program sets requirements covering structural integrity, plumbing, electrical systems, and energy efficiency.
Pre-1976 units are largely ineligible for traditional financing, and even HUD-compliant homes face lending restrictions when they’re not on a permanent foundation or titled as real property.
Chattel loans, used when the home sits on leased land, typically carry higher interest rates than conventional mortgages. That matters more than it might seem.
In February 2026, the median mobile home listing price nationally was $141,450. At a 6% interest rate with 20% down on a 30-year loan, that works out to roughly $678 per month in principal and interest, before lot rent, insurance, or property taxes.
Financing structure, not just purchase price, shapes what you actually pay every month.
For more context on navigating California’s construction permitting world, our guide on getting an ADU permit in California covers a related process with significant overlap in complexity and cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a manufactured home the same as a modular home?
Not quite. Both are factory-built, but manufactured homes meet federal HUD standards and are transported to the site as complete units. Modular homes are built in sections and must comply with local and state building codes, similar to site-built construction. Modular homes generally appraise closer to site-built homes as a result.
Do manufactured homes hold their value?
It depends heavily on land ownership. A manufactured home on private land in a desirable neighborhood can appreciate over time. A unit in a lease-land community tends to lose value, because without owning the land underneath, you’re not building equity the same way you would with a traditional home purchase.
What’s the cost difference between a single-wide and a double-wide?
Nationally, the gap averages $50,000 to $80,000. A single-wide is one factory section, typically 12 to 18 feet wide. A double-wide combines two sections, offering substantially more living space and floor plan options. In California, installation costs and foundation requirements tend to widen that gap further.
Let Someone Else Handle the Spreadsheet
If you’re in Southern California and want a new home without managing that process yourself, Cornejo’s Builders handles everything from design and permits to construction and final walkthrough.
Custom builds in the area start at $175,000 for smaller footprints, which puts a site-built home closer to the manufactured-home-plus-land-plus-everything total than most people expect.
Curious what that looks like for your property? Take a look at our home builder page for a full picture of the process, then call us at (562) 319-3178 or message us here.