What a storage unit costs

Storage usually enters a move by accident. Settlement slips a fortnight, or the new lease starts after the old one ends, and suddenly everything you own needs somewhere to sit. Size and city decide most of the bill.

How much does each unit size cost?

StoragePrices.au calls the medium unit the most popular size for a 1-bedroom move, and the large unit the one that suits a 2-bedroom house. Anything larger is priced for a household that is storing furniture rather than parking a few boxes.

Which city is cheapest for storage?

One thing worth flagging, because it contradicts a popular line: StoragePrices.au describes Adelaide as the most affordable city, but its own medium-unit median for Adelaide is $235/mo↗, above both Brisbane at $181/mo↗ and Melbourne at $185/mo↗. On the published numbers, Brisbane is the cheapest of the five and Sydney the dearest at $312/mo↗.

Why does the same size cost more across town?

Location. Inner-city facilities charge 30-50% more↗ than outer-suburban ones. If you are storing for three months and will visit twice, a unit twenty minutes further out is usually the better trade.

What do removalists charge to store your goods?

Storage booked through the removal is quoted at $150-$400 a month↗ nationally, and $160-$420 a month↗ in What's The Damage's Melbourne figures. Queensland's government also suggests asking about delay storage and card surcharges↗, because a delay on moving day is exactly when overnight storage appears on an invoice.

Are goods in storage insured?

Not automatically. The NSW Government describes transit cover as insuring goods while they are being packed and moved, and that includes packing, moving and any storage↗. Queensland lists storage insurance↗ as a separate product for goods held temporarily. Ask which one applies before the truck leaves, not after.