The average annual cost of self storage in the UK is £26.23 per square foot, according to the Self Storage Association UK (SSA). The average rent for a 100 square foot room is £54 per week.
The cost of storage varies due to three main factors:
- Location
- Size of unit
- Discounts and extras
I’ll take you through them in turn.
Price of storage by UK region
This will not surprise you: self storage costs the most in London, second most in the Southeast, and the lowest everywhere else. It mirrors the price of property.
Here’s the average by region:
- In London, the average cost of storage is £38.80 per square foot. That’s £3,880 a year for a 100 square foot room, or £74 per week.
- In the South East, the average cost of storage is £28.03 per square foot. That’s £2,803 a year for a 100 square foot room, or £54 per week.
- In the East of England, the average cost of storage is £26.47 per square foot. That’s £2,647 a year for a 100 square foot room, or £50 per week.
- In Scotland, the average cost of storage is £23.87 per square foot. That’s £2,387 a year for a 100 square foot room, or £46 per week.
- In Yorkshire & the Humber, the average cost of storage is £22.69 per square foot. That’s £2,269 a year for a 100 square foot room, or £44 per week.
- In the South West, the average cost of storage is £21.17 per square foot. That’s £2,117 a year for a 100 square foot room, or £40 per week.
- In the East Midlands, the average cost of storage is £20.82 per square foot. That’s £2,082 a year for a 100 square foot room, or £40 per week.
- In the North, the average cost of storage is £20.44 per square foot. That’s £2,044 a year for a 100 square foot room, or £40 per week.
- In the West Midlands and Wales, the average cost of storage is £20.34 per square foot. That’s £20,034 a year for a 100 square foot room, or £40 per week.
I’ve used a 100 square foot space in these examples, to give a rough indication of total costs. However, it’s not that simple, as price is also determined by unit size, and the price per square foot declines as you take on a bigger unit.
Price of storage by unit size
Storage is sold by the square foot. Like many purchases, there are savings as the unit gets bigger. Using data from the SSA, and the UK average, this is what you can expect to pay:
| Storage Size | Annual Cost | Weekly Cost |
| 25 Sqft | £1,069 | £21 |
| 50 Sqft | £1,667 | £32 |
| 75 Sqft | £2,181 | £42 |
| 100 Sqft | £2,823 | £54 |
| 150 Sqft | £3,721 | £76 |
| 200 Sqft | £4,277 | £82 |
There are a couple of points here:
- This is amount you’ll pay after discounting. Your asking rent may initially be higher than these figures, and you may be able to negotiate lower prices too. Discounts are a big thing in the storage industry, and I’ll explain them below.
- This is based on the UK average. London is about 50% above the average. Anywhere in the North or Scotland is 10-20% below the average. So apply these to the price above if you want a more accurate price.
Of course, picking a size of storage unit is a tricky decision. You don’t want your unit to be too big, otherwise you’ll be paying for wasted space. Here are a few pointers:
How big is 10 square foot of storage?
10 square foot of storage is a square with 3.2 foot or 98cm on each side. It’s about the same area as a yoga mat laid flat on the floor.
How big is 25 square foot of storage?
25 square foot of storage is a square with 5 foot or 152cm on each side. It’s about the same area as a double bed.
How big is 50 square foot of storage?
50 square foot of storage is a square with 7.1 foot or 215cm on each side. It’s about the same area as a ping pong table.
How big is 75 square foot of storage?
75 square foot of storage is a square with 8.7 foot or 264cm on each side. It’s about the same area as a full size snooker table.
How big is 100 square foot of storage?
100 square foot of storage is a square with 10 foot or 305cm on each side. It’s about the same area as a single car parking space.
How big is 150 square foot of storage?
150 square foot of storage is a square with 12.2 foot or 373cm on each side. It’s about the same area as a single garage.
Discounts on the price of storage
Almost all storage providers will offer discounts from the marked price. These usually take the following form:
- % off the first few months
- % off if you pay in advance
- % off for odd spaces
When I took out a year’s storage, for instance, I got 10% off for paying in advance. You can often get 50% off the first few months – it depends on the operator.
Storage providers want to incentivise you to stay long-term, as low occupancy is a killer for their business. Average occupancy was 77.5% in 2023, if you’re interested.
Another way to get a discount is if the storage company has unusual spaces to fill. I paid £44 per week for 70sqft of storage, which is way below market rate in London. It was a space under the eaves, with a bar across it – a bit inconvenient, but fine for my purposes (lots and lots of boxes).
Extra costs with storage
The big one is insurance. This is dependent on the value of goods you’re insuring, but it’s not cheap. You’ll need to weigh up the risks yourself.
I went with Vanguard in London, and my experience was that their security was excellent. I know this, because I was once locked in by accident after hours (with a child in a pram) and I definitely couldn’t get out.
Which probably means it was hard to get in, too.
