Storage by home size and situation
The size of storage unit you need follows your belongings, not your floor plan. A studio typically fits a 5x10, a two-bedroom apartment a 10x10, and a three-bedroom house a 10x15 or 10x20 — with the garage usually deciding which.
- 8 situations covered
- Full inventories, not rules of thumb
- Size, cost and box count
By home size
- Studio apartment 400–600 sq ft, 1 person. About 15 boxes. See the plan →
- 1 bedroom apartment 600–800 sq ft, 1–2 people. About 26 boxes. See the plan →
- 2 bedroom apartment 900–1,200 sq ft, 2–3 people. About 41 boxes. See the plan →
- 3 bedroom house 1,400–2,000 sq ft, 3–4 people. About 62 boxes. See the plan →
- 4 bedroom house 2,200–3,000 sq ft, 4–6 people. About 88 boxes. See the plan →
By what you are storing
- Car A car needs at least a 10x20 storage unit. Read →
- Motorcycle A motorcycle fits comfortably in a 5x10 storage unit, which leaves room for gear and a few boxes. Read →
- College dorm room A single dorm room fits in a 5x5 storage unit — a mini fridge, a bedding set, a desk chair, boxes and a suitcase or two. Read →
By project
- An office move Offices are the one case where people usually over-estimate volume and under-estimate weight. Desks break down flat, chairs stack, and the real bulk is paper. Read →
- A garage cleanout A garage holds more than people picture, because nothing in it is arranged to be counted. It is routinely a third of a house move by volume and almost never appears in the initial estimate. Read →
- A home renovation Renovation storage is almost never a single load-and-seal. Timelines slip, and the things you decided you could live without for six weeks become things you need in week three. Read →
Why room counts are a weak predictor
"A one-bedroom needs a 5x10" is true for someone who moved in last year and wrong for someone who has been there eight years. The variance between two households of the same size is routinely 200 to 300 cubic feet — a full unit size.
Three things drive that variance more than bedroom count: how long you have lived there, whether appliances are included, and whether there is a garage. Each page below states the inventory it assumes, so you can see where your own household differs rather than trusting a label.
Work from your own list
Related questions
What size storage unit do I need for a 2 bedroom apartment?
A 10x10 for a typical two-bedroom of about 630 cubic feet. Add a 10x15 if you want an access aisle or have a patio and garage worth of items. Full breakdown.
What size storage unit for a 3 bedroom house?
A 10x15 or 10x20, depending almost entirely on whether the garage is coming too. A typical three-bedroom runs 1,168 cubic feet. Full breakdown.
How do I estimate storage space without listing everything?
Start from the closest home-size preset and adjust for the three things that matter: years in the home, appliances, and garage contents. That gets most households within one size. Listing your actual items removes the guess entirely.