Only tqngentially mentioned is a significant portion of per unit construction costs are profits. This is not always explicit. Normal economics sez outsized profits attract more firms and competition drives down per unit construction costs because profits approach a more normal level. It doesn't happen here. Why. Look at land and landownership patterns. Land is locked away in large estates and is only available in large blocks at very high prices. This in turn serves as a barrier to entry for competitive firms. Just how bad is it? The Lincoln Institute which has cost estimates for every state has land as 70 percent of the cost. (This agrees with Honolulu property tax valuations by the way.) Since we aren't importing land, shipping costs have very little to do with it. Nor does labor costs. (Some cost surveys actually break down labor and materials cost). One thing we don't import, cement. Note that it's employers complaining about labor in the article.