Prefab Guest Houses 2026: Compared on Price and Permits
On what the makers publish, the Boxabl Casita is the cheapest prefab guest house that arrives with a bathroom and a kitchen already in it: $60,000 for 361 square feet, or $166 per square foot. The Studio Home Summit 308 is next at $318. Abodu's Studio is the only price here that covers the foundation, the utilities and the permits, and it costs $776 per square foot for that.
The ranking is on published price per square foot among units whose price includes a bathroom and a kitchen. Every figure comes from the maker's own page, checked on 4 October 2026. All 6 makers sell in the United States, and 3 of them only finish the job in 1 state. The second decision is what your county calls the unit, because that sets the permit and whether you can rent it by the night.
The comparison table
Abodu and Samara sell in California only. Kanga's turnkey price is for most parts of Texas, and its Modern 14x24 shell kit ships across the continental United States at $28,800. Boxabl's order form lists every state, Studio Home says it covers most major metropolitan areas, and Mighty Small prices shipping by distance.
What each price leaves out
No 2 of these prices cover the same work, so read the exclusions before the ranking.
- Casita. The $60,000 is the unit. Boxabl states the buyer pays shipping at $8 to $15 per mile, plus installation, foundation, utility connections and permits. Its turnkey figure with those included is $150,000, which is $416 per square foot.
- Summit 308. The $98,029 covers kitchen appliances, bathroom fixtures, flooring, electrical, insulation and HVAC. Installation by the maker's third-party installers is extra and has no published price. Shell-only kits start at $44,304.
- Samara. Installation is extra and has no published price.
- Abodu. The home is $234,800, or $610 per square foot. Typical installation adds $64,000 and covers foundation, utility connections, crane delivery and permitting support.
- Kanga. Turnkey means a finished interior and exterior. The bathroom and kitchen are options on top.
- Mighty Small. The kit is walls, roof panels and interior walls. The maker's own estimate for the 480 with a builder is $148,000 to $185,000, which is $308 to $385 per square foot.
On the 2 prices that include site work, the Casita at $150,000 is half of Abodu's $298,800 for a unit 24 square feet smaller.
Guest house or ADU, the permit decision
Your county has a name for a small second building with a bed in it, and the name carries the rules. 2 jurisdictions that publish theirs show how far apart the categories sit.
The City of Scottsdale, Arizona separates them on its guest house page, last updated 1 July 2026, and its ADU page, last updated 21 May 2026. An ADU there must contain its own kitchen and sanitary facilities, takes separately metered utilities, and may be rented apart from the main house. If it is a short-term rental, the owner must live on the property. A guest house shares the main home's utilities and may not be rented separately. Any guest house built after 1 January 2025 needs a recorded deed restriction keeping it a guest house.
Miami-Dade County, read on 4 October 2026, defines a guesthouse as a unit for the occupants of the main home and their family that is not rented for a fee. Its ADU has a separate kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area and can be rented. Neither can be a vacation rental on its own. The vacation rental must be the entire property.
Your own county decides for itself, and its answer can differ on every point above. Every unit in the table with a factory kitchen and bathroom has the 2 rooms Scottsdale requires of an ADU. A guest house you may not charge a guest for is a spare bedroom with a longer walk.
What the table says
The lowest price per square foot belongs to the unit that is least finished. The Mighty Small kit is $77 per square foot with no bathroom or kitchen listed, and the maker's own with-builder estimate lifts it to $308 or more. The Casita's $166 is the lowest figure that includes both rooms.
An all-in price is the only one you can compare to a budget. Abodu publishes $298,800 with foundation and utilities. Boxabl publishes $150,000 turnkey. Studio Home and Samara publish a unit price and leave installation to a quote.
Where the maker works matters more than the model. 3 of the 6 finish the job in a single state: Abodu and Samara in California, Kanga in Texas. Outside those states your list is the Casita, the Summit 308 and a kit.
The category decides whether the unit can earn. Scottsdale lets an ADU be rented separately and bars it for a guest house. Miami-Dade bars both from standing alone as a vacation rental.
Before you order
3 checks, in this order.
- Ask the county which category the unit falls into. Send the planning office the floor plan and ask whether it is a guest house, an accessory structure or an ADU, and whether that category can be rented for under 30 days. The zoning rules guide shows where to look first.
- Price the ground. Run the lot through the site-prep cost estimator. Foundation, trenching and utility runs sit outside most of the published prices above. Abodu's all-in figure and Boxabl's turnkey figure are the exceptions.
- Confirm the loan. Start with the lender locator. A kit is financed differently from a unit delivered finished.
For larger units, see the 8 best prefab cabins, rated. For a small structure run as a rental, read the Home Depot shed playbook, where the post reports about 300 square feet with a kitchen and bathroom built for about $100,000. The backyard playbook covers upgrading the yard of an existing rental.
Host Camp is not a licensed tax, legal or financial adviser. Confirm figures for your situation with a professional.
