THE cost of construction varies sharply in the U.S. For a one-story, 1,400-sq.-ft. wood-frame ranch house with a basement, it ranges from $16,125 to $26,300, not counting land. The following comparative figures for the same house were compiled by Milwaukee's American Appraisal Co. In most of the high-cost cities, builders use union labor; in nearly all the low-cost cities, they use nonunion labor.
HIGH-COST CITIES
Fairbanks $26,300 Anchorage 24,375 Honolulu 24,025 New York 22,975 San Francisco 22,975 Cleveland 22,800 Sacramento, Calif22,450 Detroit 22,100 Buffalo 21,750 Pittsburgh 21,750 Los Angeles21,575 Newark 21,575 Carson City, Nev 21,400...