Main page › Guides › Transportable costs
What transportable homes cost
| Studio or one bedroom | A$45,000 – A$75,000 basic turnkey, 35–50 m²[1] |
|---|---|
| Two bedrooms | A$100,000 – A$180,000 turnkey, 60–80 m²[1] |
| Three bedrooms | A$180,000 – A$260,000, about 120 m²[1] |
| Complete project with installation | A$150,000 – A$350,000[2] |
| Rule of thumb | Structure cost × 2 = total project cost[3] |
| *The structure ranges and the complete-project range are not alternatives to each other — they measure different scopes. See the section on why the same supplier publishes both. | |
Published supplier guidance puts a basic turnkey transportable studio or one-bedroom of 35–50 m² at about A$45,000–A$75,000, a turnkey two-bedroom of 60–80 m² at A$100,000–A$180,000, and three bedrooms of about 120 m² at A$180,000–A$260,000.[1] A complete project including installation is put at A$150,000–A$350,000, and one supplier's rule of thumb is that the total project costs about twice the structure.[2][3] All are commercial guidance, not independent survey data.
Transportable home pricing has the same structural problem as the rest of this market — an advertised number that describes the building, and a project cost that describes what actually happens — but it appears here in an unusually clear form. One Australian supplier publishes both a A$100,000 to A$180,000 turnkey range and a A$150,000 to A$350,000 complete-project range for broadly similar products. Both are accurate. Understanding why is the point of this guide.
What the published ranges say §
| Configuration | Published range | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 10–20 m² unit | A$25,000 – 40,000 | Structure[3] |
| 30–50 m² | A$60,000 – 90,000 | Structure[3] |
| Studio or one bedroom, 35–50 m² | A$45,000 – 75,000 | Basic turnkey[1] |
| Basic shell | From about A$65,000 | Shell only, not habitable[1] |
| 60 m² and above | A$120,000+ | Structure[3] |
| Two bedrooms, 60–80 m² | A$100,000 – 180,000 | Turnkey[1] |
| Three bedrooms, about 120 m² | A$180,000 – 260,000 | Turnkey[1] |
| Family transportable, one builder | From A$168,300 | Builder's starting price[4] |
| Complete project, installed | A$150,000 – 350,000 | Whole project[2] |
For comparison, volumetric modular square-metre rates are published at A$3,800 to A$4,600, with some builders advertising from around A$2,300, and compact modular granny flats from around A$107,000[5] — figures examined in Modular home costs, layer by layer.
The doubling rule §
The most useful single figure on this page is not a price. The supplier's own rule of thumb is that structure cost multiplied by two gives total project cost, allowing for the site works, foundations and services not included in the base price[3].
That is the same ratio published in the kit and tiny home markets, arrived at independently by different suppliers, and it is the reason the two published ranges at the top of this page are not in conflict. A A$90,000 structure is a A$180,000 project. A A$180,000 structure is a A$360,000 project.
Anyone budgeting from an advertised structure price without applying something like that multiplier is budgeting for half the job.
Why one supplier publishes two different ranges §
The A$100,000 to A$180,000 turnkey two-bedroom figure[1] and the A$150,000 to A$350,000 complete-project figure[2] come from the same business. They are not inconsistent; they answer different questions.
"Turnkey" in the first describes the building delivered finished — the manufacturer's scope. "Complete project including installation" in the second describes the building plus the ground it stands on: site preparation, foundations, service connections and the approval work that placing a building on land usually requires[2].
The lesson generalises beyond this supplier. When comparing two transportable quotes, the first question is not the price but which of those two things is being priced, and the second is whether the answer is in writing.
What drives the price §
Square metreage is the single largest cost driver, but the composition matters as much as the total. Each additional bedroom adds roughly A$25,000 to A$40,000 and a second bathroom A$15,000 to A$25,000, while open-plan layouts cost less per square metre than a plan with many small rooms because they need fewer internal walls, doors and electrical rough-ins[1].
Site accessibility is the other lever. Difficult access requiring cranes or special transport adds to logistics cost[3] — and unlike finishes, it is not negotiable. It is a property of the block.
Finish level accounts for the spread within each size band. A budget specification is described as laminate benchtops, vinyl plank flooring, standard tapware and basic appliances[1]; the top of each range is the same building with better versions of those things.
Programme §
Manufacturing typically takes 4 to 6 weeks, followed by a 1 to 2 week window for site preparation and installation once approval is granted, with total project time from order to handover usually 8 to 10 weeks[2].
Read the conditional carefully: the clock described starts once approval is granted. Approval time is not in that 8 to 10 weeks, and it is the part that varies most between states — see the transportable home rules series, and note that New South Wales in particular requires both a development application and a separate installation approval.
The 200 kilometre rule §
The most decision-useful claim located for this guide concerns geography.
Relocatable homes are put at 10 to 20 per cent cheaper than site-built construction for comparable finishes, because factory construction reduces weather delays, material waste and trades travel. But transport costs can erode that advantage for very remote sites, and the supplier's own assessment is that for metropolitan and regional areas within 200 km of a manufacturer, relocatable is usually the more cost-effective choice[1].
That is a supplier stating where its own product stops being the better answer, which makes it more credible than the general claim. The practical step is to identify the nearest manufacturer to the site before assuming a transportable home is the cheaper route — the saving that justifies the method can be consumed by the delivery that enables it.
What is not covered here §
Most of the figures on this page come from a single Australian supplier across three of its published guides. Three pages by one business that agree with each other are not three independent confirmations. The ranges are reproduced because they are the most detailed transportable-specific material located, not because they are corroborated.
No independent Australian survey of completed transportable home project costs has been located for this guide. Delivery cost by distance, crane hire, site works on difficult ground, and council fees are not quantified by the sources compiled here. Costs specific to placing a home in a residential park, including site rent, are not covered — see the transportable home rules series for each state.
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References §
- Portable Modular Buildings — Supplier-published cost guide, May 2026. States a turnkey two-bedroom relocatable home typically costs A$100,000 to A$180,000 at 60–80 m², that basic shell options start around A$65,000 but require significant additional investment to become habitable, and that a studio or one-bedroom starts at A$45,000 to A$75,000 for a basic turnkey build at 35–50 m². States a 50 m² one-bedroom starts around A$75,000 while a 120 m² three-bedroom typically runs A$180,000 to A$260,000, that each additional bedroom adds roughly A$25,000 to A$40,000 and a second bathroom A$15,000 to A$25,000, and that open-plan layouts cost less per square metre because they need fewer internal walls, doors and electrical rough-ins. States relocatable homes are generally 10 to 20 per cent cheaper than site-built for comparable finishes, that transport costs can erode this advantage for very remote sites, and that for metropolitan and regional areas within 200 km of a manufacturer relocatable is usually the more cost-effective choice. portablemodular.com.au/how-much-does-a-relocatable-home-cost-in-australia/
- Portable Modular Buildings — Supplier-published guide, March 2026. States a portable granny flat in Australia typically costs between A$150,000 and A$350,000 for a complete project including installation, that manufacturing typically takes 4 to 6 weeks followed by a 1 to 2 week window for site preparation and installation once approval is granted with total project time from order to handover usually 8 to 10 weeks, and that placing the building on land usually requires development approval from the local council. portablemodular.com.au/portable-granny-flat-australia-costs-permits-installation-guide/
- Portable Modular Buildings — Supplier-published guide, June 2026. Publishes indicative ranges of A$25,000 to A$40,000 for units of 10–20 m², A$60,000 to A$90,000 for 30–50 m², and A$120,000 or more for 60 m² and above. States that finish level and site accessibility affect cost, with difficult access requiring cranes or special transport adding to logistics cost, and gives the rule of thumb that structure cost multiplied by two gives total project cost, to allow for site works, foundations and services not included in the base price. portablemodular.com.au/modular-granny-flats-australia-rules-costs-2026/
- Todd Devine Homes — Builder-published pricing. States modular and transportable homes starting at A$168,300, describes homes as built to be relocated and remaining the owner's property, and notes permit requirements are subject to local authority regulations. todddevine.com.au/transportable-prefab-modular-homes/
- Modify — Builder-published cost guide. States modular square-metre rates commonly sit between A$3,800 and A$4,600, with some builders advertising from around A$2,300, and that compact modular granny flats often start from around A$107,000. builtbymodify.com.au/blogs/modular-home-cost
Figures are as published by the sources above at their respective dates and are paraphrased summaries, not verbatim reproductions. Verify current pricing and rules directly with builders, lenders and planning authorities.