UnedPodShipping container home cost calculator
How much will your container home cost? Pick the number of containers, floors, layout and roof. The price comes from a line-by-line estimate of a real house: containers, foundation, insulation, cladding, roof, windows, plumbing, wiring and labor.
Typical container home costs
Results of this calculator with 2026 US prices, turnkey, without land, permits and furniture. Kazakhstan prices are available in the switch above.
| House | Floor area | Turnkey, approx. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × 20ft studio with deck | 160 ft² (15 m²) | $50,000 |
| 1 × 40ft High Cube, one bedroom | 320 ft² (30 m²) | $59,000 |
| 2 × 40ft side by side, deck | 640 ft² (59 m²) | $92,000 |
| 3 × 40ft, L-shape, deck | 960 ft² (89 m²) | $120,000 |
| 4 × 40ft, two storeys | 1,280 ft² (119 m²) | $154,000 |
| 5 × 40ft, two storeys, L-shape | 1,600 ft² (149 m²) | $197,000 |
Per square foot, larger homes are cheaper: the kitchen, bathroom, water heater, drawings and much of the delivery cost are the same for a studio and a family house. See the full guide to container home costs.
How the estimate works
The calculator builds a real house with the UnedPod configurator and prices it line by line — the same estimate you get in the app. US prices are October 2026 benchmarks: a used 40ft High Cube about $3,500, metal roofing $3–5 per ft², vinyl plank floors about $3.25 per ft², labor at about 80% of materials. Use them as a starting point: in the configurator you can replace any line with your own supplier price.
- Materials and containers — the boxes, foundation piles, framing, insulation, cladding, roofing, windows, doors, finishes, cable, pipes and fittings.
- Labor, delivery and crane — cutting and reinforcing openings, assembly, finishing, electrical and plumbing work, drawings, trucking and crane.
What is not included
Land, permits and fees, utility hookups (grid connection, well, septic), heating and cooling equipment, furniture and appliances. Ask your building department early — see container home permits.
Questions
How much does a shipping container home cost?
With 2026 US prices, a finished one-container 40ft home comes out at roughly $55,000–65,000 turnkey, a two-container house (about 640 sq ft) at roughly $90,000 and a three-container house (about 960 sq ft) at roughly $120,000. Multi-container homes usually land at $120–200 per square foot; a single small box costs more per square foot because the kitchen, bathroom, windows and delivery do not shrink with the floor area.
What does the estimate include?
Used cargo-worthy containers, a pile foundation, cutting and reinforcing openings, insulation, cladding and roof, windows and doors, interior finishes, wiring and lighting, plumbing with a water heater, an optional deck, drawings, delivery with a crane, and labor.
What is not included?
Land, permits and fees, utility hookups (grid connection, well, septic), heating and cooling equipment, furniture and appliances.
How much does a 40ft shipping container cost?
A used cargo-worthy 40ft High Cube costs around $3,500 in the US in 2026, a used 20ft around $2,200. The container itself is usually less than 10% of the finished home.
Is a container home cheaper than a regular house?
The shell is cheap, but insulation, openings, finishes and services cost about the same as in any small house. Savings come from speed, factory-style work and a smaller foundation, not from the steel box.