Storage Unit Pricing Calculator
Calculate self-storage unit monthly rent, facility revenue, and vacancy loss based on unit size, market rates, and occupancy.
About this calculator
This calculator prices a self-storage unit and projects facility-wide revenue from a base rate per square foot, a climate-control premium, and an occupancy assumption. The effective rate per square foot only gets the climate premium applied when the climate-controlled toggle is set to 1; otherwise the calculation falls straight through to the base rate. Monthly unit rent is simply that effective rate multiplied by the unit's square footage, then scaled to an annual figure by multiplying by 12. To project facility-level numbers, the calculator assumes every unit in the facility is the same size and rate as the one you configured — a simplification worth noting, since real facilities mix unit sizes and the true revenue mix will differ from a single-size model.
Occupied units is total units times your occupancy percentage (rounded to a whole unit count), and monthly facility revenue multiplies that occupied count by the per-unit rent. Vacancy loss is calculated as the rent that would have come from the vacant units specifically — a direct measure of money left on the table rather than a total revenue shortfall. Economic occupancy is a distinct metric from your input occupancy rate: it's actual annual revenue divided by the theoretical maximum revenue if every unit were full every month, which will match your input occupancy percentage exactly in this simplified single-unit-size model, but in a real mixed-size facility the two would diverge whenever larger or smaller units have different vacancy patterns.
Inputs
Results
Monthly Unit Rent
$100.00
Monthly Facility Revenue
$17,600.00
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the unit size in square feet (common sizes: 5x5=25, 5x10=50, 10x10=100, 10x20=200).
- Set the base rate ($/sq ft/month) for your market.
- Toggle climate control and enter the climate premium percentage if applicable.
- Enter total units in the facility and target occupancy rate.
- Review monthly and annual unit rent, effective rate per sq ft, and projected gross facility revenue.
How the result changes with Unit Size (sq ft)
| Unit Size (sq ft) | Monthly Unit Rent | Monthly Facility Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | $50.00 | $8,800.00 |
| 75 | $75.00 | $13,200.00 |
| 150 | $150.00 | $26,400.00 |
| 250 | $250.00 | $44,000.00 |
What each input means
- Unit Size (sq ft)
- Storage unit size. Common sizes: 5×5 (25), 5×10 (50), 10×10 (100), 10×20 (200), 10×30 (300).
- Base Rate ($/sq ft/month)
- Market rate per square foot per month for standard (non-climate) units. Typical: $0.75-1.50.
- Climate Controlled (0/1)
- Set to 1 for climate-controlled unit, 0 for standard.
- Climate Premium (%)
- Price premium for climate control. Industry standard: 25-50%.
- Total Units in Facility
- Number of units in the facility (for revenue projection).
- Occupancy Rate (%)
- Expected occupancy rate. Established facilities average 85-92%.
What each result means
- Monthly Unit Rent
- Monthly rent for this unit size and type.
- Annual Unit Rent
- Yearly rent per unit.
- Effective Rate ($/sq ft)
- Actual rate per square foot including climate control premium.
- Occupied Units
- Number of units rented at the target occupancy rate.
- Monthly Facility Revenue
- Total monthly revenue across all occupied units.
- Annual Facility Revenue
- Projected annual revenue at target occupancy.
- Annual Vacancy Loss
- Revenue lost to vacant units per year.
- Revenue per Sq Ft (annual)
- Annual revenue per square foot of total rentable space.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersUnit Size (sq ft) = 100, Base Rate ($/sq ft/month) = 1, Climate Controlled (0/1) = 0, Climate Premium (%) = 40 = 6 input(s) provided
- Calculate Monthly Unit RentMonthly Unit Rent = effectiveRatePerSqFt * unitSizeSqFt100 = $100
- Calculate Monthly Facility RevenueMonthly Facility Revenue = monthlyUnitRent * occupiedUnits17600 = $17,600
- Calculate Annual Unit RentAnnual Unit Rent = monthlyUnitRent * 121200 = $1,200
- Calculate Effective Rate1 = $1
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
How exactly does climate control change the monthly rent?
When the climate-controlled toggle is set to 1, the base rate per square foot is multiplied by (1 plus the climate premium percentage divided by 100) to get the effective rate — for example, a $1.00 base rate with a 40% premium becomes $1.40 per square foot. If the toggle is 0, the premium is ignored entirely and the effective rate equals the base rate, regardless of what the premium percentage is set to.
Why would economic occupancy ever differ from the occupancy rate I entered?
In this calculator they won't diverge, because the model assumes every unit in the facility is the same size and rate as the one you configured — economic occupancy (actual revenue divided by maximum possible revenue) works out to exactly your input occupancy percentage in that simplified case. In a real facility with a mix of unit sizes, the two would differ whenever larger or smaller units have different vacancy patterns than the average, since a vacant large unit costs more in lost revenue than a vacant small one.
What does annual vacancy loss represent, and how is it different from just 'lost revenue'?
Vacancy loss is calculated specifically as the rent that would have come from the units currently sitting empty — vacant units times the monthly unit rent, annualized — rather than a broader shortfall against some target. It's a direct measure of the money left on the table by unoccupied units at your current unit size and rate, which is useful for deciding whether a rate cut to fill vacancies would pay for itself.
Does raising total units in the facility change my per-unit monthly rent?
No — total units and occupancy percentage only scale the facility-level revenue figures (occupied units, monthly and annual facility revenue, vacancy loss). The per-unit numbers like monthly unit rent and effective rate per square foot are driven solely by unit size, base rate, and the climate control settings, independent of how many units the facility has.
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