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in theory, it's only cheaper if it can be mass produced. So far that's not really happening. I ran into this same frustration when I was looking to build several years ago. Pre fab has done a great job of selling itself to the modernist community, but still not such a great job at making it affordable. I ended up designing and building from scratch for way less than the pre-fab quotes I was getting.
have you poked around livemodern.com at all? The fabulous Greg LaVardera who hangs around there, or used to, has done at least a couple of lower budget pre-fabs that I am aware of, and there are others, I'm sure.

One question I'd ask yourself is WHY you think you want pre-fab in the first place. In my case, the answer to that was mostly because I liked the designs I was seeing, not because I had any overwhelming love of the idea of prefab which sort of put things in a different perspective once I heard the high end prices. If it's not cheaper, there really is very little benefit to it in the end.

No, prefab homes aren't supposed to be more affordable than a standard stick-built tract house...
...they're supposed to be more affordable than a custom Architect-Designed Modern Home.

They're also faster to assemble on-site which means far lower carrying costs on a high-interest construction loan - which saves you money.
They also create nearly zero wasted building materials - which saves you money in labor for site cleanup as well as dumpster fees for disposing of excess building materials.

For more info on currently available modern prefab homes, check out www.fabprefab.com

I am from SECT and please, please DO NOT buy a prefab house. There are plenty of great house available and good builders. The funny thing about this area is most condos cost more than homes and the homes are in decent to great neighborhoods-and for most part the condos I've seen are super shoddy construction.
My advice if you want new is to buy land and build or do I what I did and buy an adorable, solid 1920's home! Either way, welcome to SECT!

Bepsf's got it right. Prefab and modular homes are especially well-suited to higher-end projects in remote or less accessible areas like Telluride, CO where manual labor is hard to find and raw materials are expensive. The reduced timeline also makes prefab/modular a good solution for regions where the climate dictates a shorter "building season".

You should look into the Clayton I-House. It's got some good modern features and you can customize it in a bunch of different ways. Even with some of the more expensive features (like solar panels and bamboo flooring) you'll still be well under $200,000.

If you are in the midwest check out EcoUrban Homes, based in St Louis.
http://www.ecourbanhomes.com/
a two thousand square foot home will run you around 300k with primo finishes and LEED Platinum certification, but can start as low as 150k depending on the floorplan.
Jay Swoboda, the project manager, is a very good friend of my husband, and does beautiful work! I've toured his completed homes. The neefty thing about these homes is that they work very well in infill situations (empty urban lot) and can go up so quickly, to boot. They are not only beautiful, but designed so well for families and entertiaining... no real compromises.

Pre-fab was cheaper until Dwell magazine came along and made it 'in' and now it isn't.

Why get modular when you can get something custom for cheaper?

Find a design you love, work in the features you must have, and hire a good builder.

There is predesigned prefab (the various kits and such that are often featured on sites like ApartmentTherapy).

There is also custom designed, prefab. The design is dictated by you and your architect. Much of the construction takes place off site, then final assembly happens fairly quickly on site. This is tends to be less expensive, faster and lower in waste that on site building.

This Old House recently did a series on a custom designed, prefab house in the Boston suburbs (The Weston House 2008). There is a lot of information available on their website, including info about the architect, the company that did the prefab, the onsite installation process, etc. The house is BIG (nearly 4000 sq feet), so don't fret too much about how it is not what you want. The point is, you can get anything you want with custom design.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/house-project/overview/0,,20198092,00.html

that price seems reasonable for the size in many construction markets, unreasonable in others. delivery costs have a lot to do with the cost of pre-fab, since most of the manufacturers are quite distant from the intended locations.

i'd hunt around for an architect with experience in more low cost building, or even a good design/build contractor. then you can get something closer to what you want. but be forewarned, "modern" = "expensive" to many, many, many contractors because it takes greater care to make simple well.

When it comes to housing, like with most products, there is a wide range of quality and price. As the old adage goes "You get what you pay for".

With most existing houses you can buy today you are paying for the land value and not the house. This is true in close to 70% of all houses for sale. This makes a house a depreciating product just like a car or any other big ticket item. With this in mind you need to consider what is important for you. Some people will buy a BMW, Mercedes or Jaguar and spend 2 to 3 times what a very good and perfectly capable car of the same size will cost mostly for the intangibles such as design and status while others will be very happy and satisfied with a Honda, Toyota or Chevy.

Buying used is much cheaper (if you don't consider life cycle cost such as maintenance, operating cost such as energy and livability) then building new for the reasons discussed above. Modern Prefab Homes are no different. House cost differ from region to region and because of how and what the house is made of. Here on Long Island a very basic prefab (not a well designed modern one) will start at $170/sf and this is with vinyl siding and carpet while a better built one with hardwood floors and Hardy board siding will cost $190/sf. If sustainable practices and energy efficiency does not matter to you then by all means go with the cheapest source but if you care about what you live in and your footprint on this earth then look into what is available out there.

We at ASAP•house can deliver a Modern Modular that is Energy Star rated and 90% finished and set it on a foundation for $112/sf but you will need to provide the foundation, HVAC, utility hook-ups and buttoning up with your local contractor.

Laszlo Kiss, Pres.
ASAP•house Inc.
Sag Harbor NY
www.aspahouse.com

Have you ever thought about shipping containers? At $2k a piece, it might be an option if you're feeling adventurous.