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Tiny house cost calculator

Pick how it gets built, how long it is, and what goes in it. Get a range built from real listed prices.

We split HomeAdvisor's $14,100–$54,800 materials range into thirds.
Appliances & systems (real listed prices)

Land & site

HomeAdvisor range: $3,000–$150,000

Estimated total

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finished weight (500–550 lb per trailer foot)
trailer rating to look for

Turnkey uses $236–$259 per sq ft (Escape Traveler One and XL list prices). Shell uses $135/sq ft (Mustard Seed 20-ft shell) plus 43% of materials — NAHB's share for interior finishes and systems. Builder listings count loft space, so footprint-based turnkey numbers can run low.

How the calculator works

Every price in the calculator is a real listed price we opened: trailer prices from a tiny house trailer maker's price list, appliance prices from AJ Madison and the manufacturers, battery and toilet prices from retailers. Land, permits and hookups use HomeAdvisor's published ranges, which are wide because they really are that wide.

Footprint is the trailer length times 8.5 feet, the federal legal width. Weight uses the 500–550 pounds per linear foot rule of thumb, which tells you what trailer rating to buy. Overloading a trailer is the expensive mistake. Read the trailer guide before you order one.

Want the full breakdown? Read how much a tiny house costs.

Pricing land in Florida? The cheapest lot is no bargain if you can't legally live on it. Check are tiny homes legal in Florida, Tampa Bay ADU rules and where to park a tiny house before you fill in the land line. Going off-grid? Size the batteries in off-grid tiny house first.

Where the numbers come from

  1. Tiny House Basics — What do tiny house trailers cost?
  2. Tiny Home Builders — Tiny house trailers (axle ratings)
  3. TinyHouse.com — Escape Traveler One
  4. TinyHouse.com — Escape Traveler XL
  5. TinyHouse.com — Tiny house shells
  6. HomeAdvisor — Cost to build a tiny house
  7. NAHB — Cost of constructing a home (2024)
  8. AJ Madison — Summit RE2411W range
  9. AJ Madison — Summit FFBF121WIM refrigerator
  10. AJ Madison — GE GFQ14ESSNWW washer/dryer
  11. SupplyHouse — MRCOOL DIY 12K mini-split
  12. Nature's Head — composting toilet
  13. Solartown — Battle Born 100Ah battery

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