Yes, it absolutely is digging. This comic was released way before COVID-19 was a thing. The most recent pandemic was probably Spanish Flu, which was before his time.
I think the difference in building codes alone could make this much less expensive.
My understanding is these places are designed to promote the independence of residents to give them a base to build on to put their life back together. The separate space really helps drive that home in a way that an apartment can’t. In an apartment, you can often hear what’s going on in the next room, and that’s not great when you’re trying to build better habits and your neighbor isn’t.