> Because you know none of it actually pays for the building, it's just all for the artificial scarcity.
It depends on the quality you want for the build. There are homes being built today that use premium materials and the materials are expensive. You can easily spend $50k on windows, for example. Of course, lower end construction that price drops to like $10k.
You can buy prefabricated homes in the USA but it would be cool if "trailer" wasn't the only option. I don't think many people in the West would feel comfortable in a Japanese home though.