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How Much Does Furniture Storage Cost?

furniture storage cost

When you move into a new home, you may need to spend some time deciding what furniture goes where, which items just need to go, and what to do with that antique armoire that you just can’t part with. Storage is a great way to give yourself time to decide, but how much does furniture storage cost? And what sort of storage should you choose? We’ve broken down the numbers so you can estimate how much storing your furniture might cost and make the most informed decision.

First you need to determine some key factors that will influence cost: how much furniture storage do you need? Will you store your belongings in your current city, or somewhere else? And what type of storage do you need or want?

Types of Storage Options

Self-Storage

The most popular and widely available option, self-storage units can provide a fast and easy way to store your furniture. They generally range from 3 feet by 5 feet to 20 feet by 30 feet. You could opt for outdoor access or entry through the inside of a building, which some consider to be more secure — but could mean the facility has “business hours”, outside of which you do not have access to your unit. You could also opt for a climate-controlled unit, particularly if you are storing more delicate pieces of furniture or artwork, or if you live in a more extreme climate where your unit could become extremely hot and humid or cold. Climate controlled storage units are generally more expensive, of course.

The national average for indoor storage unit costs are:

  • $40-$50 per month for a 5-by-5-foot unit
  • $75-$140 per month for a 10-by-15-foot unit
  • $115-$150 per month for a climate-controlled 10-by-15-foot unit
  • $95-$155 per month for a 10-by-20-foot unit
  • $170-$180 per month for a climate-controlled 10-by-20-foot unit
  • $225 per month for a 20-by-20-foot unit

Portable Storage

Seems like a great idea, right? Rather than haul your belongings to a private storage unit, the company drops off a portable container for you to fill up with whatever you need to store. You can opt to keep the unit at your home for a period of time, or the company will come retrieve the unit to be stored at their facility. Once there, it is inaccessible without contacting the company to unload it from the stacks of other containers. This option is, therefore, better if you are planning to tuck your furniture away for a significant period of time. It also tends to be costly: for a trip of around 1,400 miles (roughly Atlanta to Dever), your portable storage container will cost between $2,000 and $4,000 to ship. Storage rates after that run between $100 and $200 per month depending on the size of the container. Some companies include one month of storage with the moving cost, but that is not always the case – so be clear when you get your quote.

All sounds expensive? Consider the more minimalist approach. Selling your old furniture or donating furniture to charity organizations, rather than storing it until you figure out where to put it, can save you money as well as a headache down the road when you have to finally clean out that storage unit you haven’t touched in a year.

Still not quite sure how to store furniture in the most efficient and cost-effective way? Unpakt will help you compare storage services prices, then connect you with the professional full service movers who will help take care of the rest of the details.

About the author

Unpakt Team