That image looks AI-generated, but yes, the state of design in the US is appalling. And no, it isn’t due to cost (directly). It’s due to choosing. Overall, the cost of far superior and more human-centered design would only be about 10% more. Amortized over the length of a mortgage, in most places that’d be about $50 a month.

Paying $50 a month more to live in something that doesn’t look like a second-rate horse barn would be worth it to most people.