The SSA UK Annual Industry Report 2026 puts the UK average at 27.40 GBP per square foot a year before VAT. With VAT that is £2.74 a month per square foot, and it is the benchmark we use on every page until our own checked price for a store is live.
Typical monthly cost by unit size
| Unit size | Roughly holds | UK average a month |
|---|---|---|
| 10 sq ft | A cupboard: about 25 medium boxes | £27.40 |
| 25 sq ft | Contents of a one-bed flat's spare room | £68.50 |
| 50 sq ft | A one-bed flat | £137 |
| 75 sq ft | A two-bed house | £205.50 |
| 100 sq ft | A three-bed house | £274 |
Prices swing a long way around that average. Central London stores charge two to three times the national rate, while container sites in the North and Wales often sit well under it. Our town pages track the spread store by store.
The costs nobody puts in the headline
- Insurance. Most stores make cover a condition of rental. Surewise case studies found store cover costing 7.15 to 18 GBP per 1,000 GBP of goods a month.
- Getting there and back. A small hire van runs 35 to 80 GBP a day (MyJobQuote). Two trips, one in and one out, is typical.
- Your time. Loading, driving, unloading: about 3 hours a trip is a fair budget.
- Introductory offers. Half-price first 8 weeks is common; the standard rate lands afterwards. We always show the standard price.
Put together, 12 boxes stored for 3 months at the UK average costs about £235.20: £82.20 rent, £21 insurance, £120 van hire and a £12 padlock. Our true-cost calculator runs the same sums for your own load.