How Much Does a Double Wide Trailer Cost?

Updated on July 29, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 8 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

A new double-wide manufactured home costs about $120,000 to $200,000 for the home itself. The latest U.S. Census Bureau data puts the February 2026 national average at $163,100 for a new double-section home. After delivery, installation, foundation work, utility connections, permits, skirting, steps, site preparation, and other required work, many buyers spend $190,000 to $300,000 before buying land.

The price advertised by a dealer is not always the move-in price. A listing may cover only the factory-built home, while another quote includes delivery, joining the sections, HVAC completion, basic foundation work, and skirting. Raw land can add well, septic, driveway, grading, power, drainage, surveys, and permit costs that equal 30% to 60% of the home-only price.

A double-wide is a multi-section manufactured home built under the federal HUD Code. It is transported in two sections on permanent chassis and joined at the site. It is not the same as a modular home, which is built to the state and local construction code used for site-built housing.

Article Highlights

• The February 2026 average price for a new double-section manufactured home was $163,100 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 2.6 years of full-time work, before taxes).
• The Census price measures the manufactured home, not land or every site expense.
• A realistic installed budget is often $190,000 to $300,000 before land.
• Raw-land utilities and site improvements can add $30,000 to $100,000+.
• A permanent foundation may be required by the lender even when local placement rules allow another system.
• Homes on owned land can qualify for different financing than homes placed on rented lots.
• A low dealer price may leave out freight mileage, permits, HVAC, skirting, steps, utility trenching, and marriage-line finishing.

How Much Does a Double-Wide Manufactured Home Cost?

The U.S. Census Bureau and HUD publish monthly pricing through the Manufactured Housing Survey. The February 2026 sales-price table reports an average of $163,100 (about 2.6 years of full-time work at $30 per hour) for a new double-section manufactured home. The January average was $160,100.

Census explains that the survey includes reported sales prices and intended sales prices for new manufactured homes. It does not establish a turnkey budget for a particular parcel. The latest manufactured-home data is updated as newer shipment months become available.

Cost layer	Working 2026 range	Common exclusions
Home only	$120,000 to $200,000	Land, foundation, utilities, permits
Delivery and basic setup	$10,000 to $30,000	Long haul, escorts, crane, difficult access
Foundation and anchoring	$10,000 to $40,000+	Excavation, engineering, poor soil, drainage
Utility connections	$8,000 to $50,000+	Long trenches, service upgrades, well, septic
Skirting, steps, permits, and finish work	$8,000 to $25,000+	Decks, garage, landscaping, driveway
Installed total before land	$190,000 to $300,000+	Land purchase, financing, closing costs

The lower end applies to an accessible improved lot with nearby utilities and a dealer package covering much of the setup. Raw land, long utility runs, engineered foundations, steep access, and local impact fees can push the installed total above $300,000.

What a Double-Wide Really Is

HUD defines a manufactured home as a factory-built dwelling produced under the federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. Each transportable section carries a red certification label, often called a HUD tag. The home is transported on a permanent chassis in one or more sections.

A double-wide arrives as two sections. The installation crew places both sections on the approved support system, aligns them, joins the marriage line, connects structural components, completes roofing and exterior seams, and connects the mechanical systems.

The HUD homeowner guidance says installation planning must address zoning, septic, electrical and building permits, site access, soil, foundation and anchoring, perimeter enclosure, and utility hookups. HUD also advises buyers to list installation services separately in the sales contract.

“Mobile home” usually refers to a factory-built home produced before the HUD Code took effect on June 15, 1976. “Trailer” remains common informal language, but a new double-wide sold today is a manufactured home.

The Dealer Price May Stop at the Factory

A dealer’s opening price may cover the structure, installed cabinets, flooring, plumbing fixtures, wiring, windows, roofing, interior finishes, and selected appliances. It may not cover what happens after the sections leave the factory.

Clayton Homes states that a private-land starting price can exclude land, site preparation, delivery, and installation. Other retailers bundle some of those items. A buyer comparing two homes must compare the written scope rather than the number printed beside the floor plan.

Ask whether the quoted home price includes:

• Freight within a stated mileage limit
• Wide-load permits and escort vehicles
• Site access inspection
• Crane or specialized placement equipment
• Blocking, piers, anchors, or a permanent foundation
• Marriage-line structural and cosmetic work
• Roof ridge completion and exterior trim
• HVAC equipment and startup
• Plumbing and electrical connections beneath the home
• Skirting, steps, gutters, and final cleanup

A price described as “delivered and set” may still exclude the foundation, utility meters, septic system, well, driveway, decks, permits, and connection from the home to the service points.

ThePricer’s Installed-Price Calculation

The current Census average provides a reliable home-only starting point. ThePricer built a moderate installed scenario using a $163,100 (about 2.6 years of full-time work at $30 per hour) double-section home, an improved but unfinished private lot, and no land purchase.

• Average double-section home: $163,100
• Delivery and section setup: $18,000
• Permanent foundation and anchoring: $24,000
• Power, water, and sewer connections: $16,000
• Skirting, steps, permits, inspections, and grading: $12,000

The estimated project total is:

$163,100 + $18,000 + $24,000 + $16,000 + $12,000 = $233,100 before land.

The work outside the factory home adds $70,000. That raises the home-only price by about 42.9%:

$70,000 ÷ $163,100 = 42.9%.

A buyer who budgets only the Census average would be short by $70,000 in this scenario. Land, closing costs, financing charges, furniture, a garage, and landscaping remain outside the $233,100 total.

Raw Land Can Add Six Figures

Raw land changes the project because the home needs a buildable pad, delivery access, drainage, water, wastewater disposal, and electrical service. Each item can require design, permits, inspections, trenching, equipment, and restoration.

A documented February 2026 buyer quote listed a $107,900 manufactured home, a $6,000 skirting package, and $63,500 in site improvements. The user-reported Texas estimate included a well or water meter, electric meter, septic system, driveway, decks, termite treatment, foundation, utility hookups, survey, construction fee, and government fees.

The estimate reached $177,400 before land. The site work equaled about 56% of the stated $113,900 home package. It is one location-specific quote rather than a national average, but it shows how inexpensive-looking homes become larger construction projects.

A rural wastewater system can become one of the biggest line items. Current septic system costs range from about $5,000 to $10,000 for some conventional systems and $15,000 to $30,000 for mound systems.

Property with public sewer can still require connection fees, excavation, piping, inspections, and pavement restoration. The cost to connect to a public sewer should be priced before the buyer commits to the parcel.

Delivery Access Has Its Own Budget

Each half of the home is an oversized load. The route must accommodate section width, height, turning radius, bridges, trees, wires, slopes, gates, and road conditions. A property can be buildable but expensive to reach.

Clayton’s delivery and setup outline describes the coordination between the retailer, transporter, home consultant, and site crew. Buyers should not assume the factory price includes every transport problem discovered later.

Extra charges may appear for:

• Mileage beyond the dealer’s included radius
• State and local transport permits
• Escort or pilot vehicles
• Utility-line lifting
• Tree trimming or fence removal
• Temporary road reinforcement
• Crane placement
• Weather delays and return trips

A new gravel access road requires excavation, geotextile where needed, stone delivery, grading, and compaction. Material costs for crushed limestone can explain part of the driveway quote, but hauling and equipment may cost as much as the aggregate.

Foundation Choice Affects Financing

Manufactured homes can be installed on several engineered support and anchoring systems. Local rules may permit piers and anchors, a crawlspace, slab-related systems, or a basement configuration. The lender may demand a permanent foundation even when another installation method is legal.

USDA’s manufactured-home loan guidance says eligible new purchases must have a compliant site, at least 400 square feet, and placement on a permanent foundation. It also says eligible purchase financing can include transportation and setup costs.

The foundation quote should identify:

• Excavation and pad preparation
• Concrete, block, piers, footings, or slab work
• Anchors and tie-down components
• Drainage and frost-depth requirements
• Engineering or foundation certification
• Crawlspace access and ventilation
• Perimeter enclosure or skirting

A cheap support quote that fails the lender’s requirements can block closing or force expensive corrective work.

Financing the Home and Land

Financing depends on whether the borrower owns the land, whether the home is permanently attached, how it is titled, and whether the loan covers the home alone or a combined real-estate package.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that land ownership plays a major role in whether a manufactured home is treated as personal property or real property. That distinction can affect the loan type, interest rate, consumer protections, and security of tenure. The CFPB manufactured-housing report warns that personal-property financing can be more expensive than mortgage financing.

FHA Title I insurance can support private loans used to buy or refinance a manufactured home, a manufactured-home lot, or both. HUD describes the available uses on its Title I program page.

Government backing does not mean every home, lot, borrower, installation, or dealer package qualifies. Before paying a nonrefundable deposit, obtain lender confirmation for the exact model, property, foundation plan, title arrangement, and project budget.

Park Living Changes the Cost

A home placed in a manufactured-home community may avoid the cost of purchasing land, drilling a well, or building a private septic system. The tradeoff is recurring lot rent and less control over the land.

The buyer should price:

• Monthly lot rent
• Utility charges and billing method
• Application and move-in fees
• Required skirting, porches, landscaping, and exterior appearance
• Future rent increases
• Home-sale and removal rules
• Costs to move or demolish a home that cannot remain

A less expensive home on rented land can carry a higher lifetime housing cost than a more expensive home placed on owned property. The monthly payment alone does not capture that difference.

Manufactured Is Not Modular

Manufactured and modular homes are both factory-built, but they follow different codes. HUD-certified manufactured homes are built under the federal HUD Code and remain on a permanent chassis. Modular homes are produced in sections under state and local building codes and are treated much like site-built construction after assembly.

A double-wide is not automatically a modular home. It is usually a two-section manufactured home. A modular house may also arrive in two or more modules, but section count does not determine the legal category.

This distinction affects inspections, labels, title treatment, financing, foundations, alterations, appraisal, and resale. Ask the retailer whether the model is HUD-code manufactured housing or code-compliant modular construction before comparing prices.

Three Buyer Scenarios

Improved family lot: The home costs $150,000. Delivery, setup, foundation, utility connections, skirting, steps, and permits add $45,000. The installed total is $195,000 before land.

Moderate private-land project: The home costs the current Census average of $163,100. Added work totals $70,000, bringing the project to $233,100 before land.

Raw rural parcel: A larger upgraded home costs $190,000. Delivery and installation add $25,000, foundation and grading add $35,000, well and septic add $35,000, and power, driveway, permits, decks, and skirting add $30,000. The result is $315,000 before land.

When a Double-Wide Makes Sense

It can make sense if:

• The buyer has an affordable, legally usable site.
• Utility distances and soil conditions are known before ordering.
• The written dealer package defines delivery and installation scope.
• The home and foundation qualify for the planned financing.
• The installed cost remains below suitable local alternatives.

It may be poor value if:

• Raw-land development consumes the apparent factory-price saving.
• The buyer compares a home-only quote with a completed site-built house.
• Lot rent creates an unaffordable long-term obligation.
• The site has difficult access, flood exposure, weak soil, or costly utility extensions.
• The lender has not approved the home, land, title, and foundation arrangement.

What We Verified

• Checked the $163,100 February 2026 double-section price against the Census Manufactured Housing Survey.
• Confirmed the HUD Code, certification-label, chassis, and installation definitions through HUD homeowner resources.
• Cross-referenced permanent-foundation and site rules with USDA’s current manufactured-home lending guidance.
• Verified that personal-property and real-property financing can carry different costs through the CFPB.
• Confirmed that dealer starting prices may exclude land, preparation, delivery, and installation through Clayton Homes.

Answers to Common Questions

How much does a new double-wide cost in 2026?

The home itself commonly costs $120,000 to $200,000. The February 2026 national average was $163,100. An installed project often reaches $190,000 to $300,000 before land.

Does the price include delivery and setup?

Sometimes. Dealer packages differ. Ask whether the price includes freight, permits, foundation, marriage-line work, HVAC, skirting, steps, utility connections, and final inspections.

Is a double-wide a modular home?

No. A double-wide is usually a two-section manufactured home built under the federal HUD Code. Modular homes follow state and local building codes.

Can a double-wide qualify for a mortgage?

Yes, when the borrower, home, property, title, foundation, and installation meet the lender’s rules. A home-only personal-property loan follows a different structure from a mortgage secured by the home and land.

How much should I budget beyond the home price?

Plan for at least $30,000 to $100,000+ beyond the home-only price. Raw land, distant utilities, difficult access, well and septic work, or an engineered foundation can require more.