Self Storage Manchester Prices

Manchester's vibrant arts and cultures scene ranges from music (more than a few stars have emerged), theatre; fabulous nightlife; museums - there´s little, if anything, missing from the city´s arts and entertainment scene.

Add great transport links, diverse employment opportunities, a multicultural vibe that is generally celebrated, and it´s easy to see why the city appeals, especially with the Peak District on it´s doorstep and famously good football and sports clubs.

With so much to offer, it´s small wonder that at the last Census (2021), Greater Manchester's population (just under 2.9 million) showed  a population growth of 6.9% - higher than England (6.6%) and the North West in general (5.2%). House prices consequently are rising at speeds above the national average rate.

Despite being a great place to live, the average house size in Manchester postcode area is ¡10.5m² less than the average house size in England and Wales.  Towards the centre, the average dwelling is even smaller. The area is crying out for approximately 75 thousand new homes according to a recent BBC report.

With so much going on in the area, it´s small wonder that demand for self storage is high. Whether it's councils storing things for tenants, young businesses using storage to avoid high rents and long term contracts in an uncertain financial climate, or people simply using storage as a way of keeping their spaces organised, demand for self storage units has never been higher.

How much does self-storage in Manchester cost?

What you will pay for Manchester self storage will depend upon the Manchester area and the size of the storage unit.

The industry tends to use a measure of price per square foot for quoting prices, and Manchester averaged £20.44 per square foot last year. Some sources suggest that Manchester is about 4% cheaper than the rest of the UK, with an even wider gap for larger units.

To most people that won´t mean much - £20.44 per square foot is a price per foot per annum (year). That would translate to £19.65 per week for a 50' unit, based on a 52 week year, £39.31 per week for 100 feet etc.¡

But not only are those figures a year old, they are for the whole of the North of England. As we´ve seen, Manchester is a highly populated city with rising property prices. Recent surveys suggest that a 25 square foot self-storage unit in Manchester would cost £22.75 per week (£3 per foot per week more than the average). The average 100 square foot unit in Manchester can be expected to come in at around £52.38.

Location is one of the biggest single variables in the price you will pay, others being size of unit, type of storage solution, time of year, access arrangements and length of stay.

One thing to bear in mind when looking at any figures is that they were created at a fixed point in time and by asking a set number of suppliers, who may or may not be in tune with general pricing locally.

Is self-storage in Manchester getting more or less expensive?

The most recent report from the SSA (Self Storage Association) showed the price of storage facilities falling in the north of England, and prices fell from £20.58 to £20.44 (per square foot, the figure used above) between 2022 and 2023, the period that the 2024 report covered.

Most suppliers weren´t expecting radical pricing changes this year, although we will have to wait for the SSA report 2025 to know how good their predictions were.

How much self storage do you need?

Generally, the bigger the storage space, the less you will pay per square foot.  This is logical. It takes as much effort to fill, manage and keep clean a smaller unit as a large one, but more work to fill that space if the units are small than if they are large ones.

Roughly speaking:

• A 25 square foot unit would take the contents of a small van: a garden shed or a studio flat (no large furniture);
• A 35 square foot unit could take the contents of a transit van: a studio flat with some furniture or a two bedroom flat;
• A 50 square foot unit could take the contents of  a large transit size van; a one bedroom flat with bits of furniture including a large bed or desk; or a two bedroom flat´s contents;
• A 75 square foot unit could take the contents of a Luton size van; the contents of a small 2-3 bedroom house, or furniture including wardrobes and beds, mattresses and the like;
• A 100 square foot unitcould take the contents of a small removal truck; a small 3-4 bedroom house, an office, even bikes, garden furniture and the like;
• A 120 square foot unit could take the contents of a removal truck, easily accommodating all of the contents of most three bedroom houses including furniture, garden furniture and the like. (This is the standard size of most container units.)
• A 150 square foot unit could take the contents of a large removal truck; the contents of a four or five bedroom house.

These are simply guidelines - if a garden has statues, a home has furniture that doesn´t break down for storage or there are specialist items like pianos, this will obviously change those estimates radically.¡

But one thing holds true: 100 square foot units have a median price per square foot 43% lower than 25 square foot unit prices: the bigger the self storage unit, the more you save.

(Pink Storage provides a guide to how many standard sized containers you might need should you select a container storage solution.: calculator)

How much does Outdoor Self-storage cost vs. Indoor Self-storage?

Indoor self-storage units are old fashioned storage units, generally located in the interior of a large building, often in town centres where the owners can attract the attention of potential storers.

Outdoor storage is a term used by some for container storage. It´s a bit of a misnomer: nothing is stored outside. Everything is safely inside, and since containers are designed to withstand the ravages of being exposed at sea, they are designed NOT to leak or rot. They also usually offer the advantage of being able to drive up to the container rather than having to unload and transport along corridors and upstairs.

Price per square foot, 'outdoor storage' (container storage) is generally less expensive than 'indoor storage´ - at least a third less on average across the UK.

Student Storage in Manchester (and the Greater Manchester area)

According to The Complete University Guide, Manchester has a student population of over 100,000, including over 27,000 international students. This represents one of the largest student populations in Europe. The places they study include:

University of Manchester

The centre of Manchester is home to the University of Manchester, part of the prestigious Russell Group of universities, According to the 2025 QS Ranking of World Universities, Manchester is ranked 34th in the world and 6th in the UK.¡

Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)

Based in the centre of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University is home to one of the UK's largest and most diverse student communities. With over 43,000 students, it boasts more than 2,700 international students from over 100 countries.

University of Bolton/University of Bolton Manchester Campus¡

Whilst the University of Bolton is in close by Bolton, the University of Bolton Manchester Campus is located very close to Oxford Road, Manchester, often seen as Manchester's student hub. Over 9000 students attend annually.

University of Salford

The University of Salford is just 2km outside of Manchester at MediaCity, alongside the BBC and ITV. Its total student population is more than 20,000 of whom 4000 are international students. Numerous courses rank in the top 10 league nationally

UCEN Manchester

UCEN Manchester is a higher Education Provider with five Manchester-based campuses, and a recently opened City Campus . Courses tend to be vocational, and include a mix of practical and academic learning to provide the specific skills needed for particular industry sectors including business, law, theatre, film, art, media and make up. Itr hosts around 10,000 students.

Manchester School of Architecture

In the centre of Manchester, and home to just 1000 students, this school is a collaboration between MMMU and the University of Manchester. The collaboration is paying off: the school is ranked fifth worldwide and second in the UK.

RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music)

In 1973, the Royal Manchester College of Music and the  Northern School of Music merged to form the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), now home to more than 900 students from at least 60 countries. It's ranked fifth for music in the QS University World Rankings.

Student Storage needs

Student storage needs tend to be seasonal:

• Overseas students looking for places to ship their belongings to ahead of their arrival in the UK;
• Students giving up spaces in halls or shared accommodation over the holidays but needing somewhere to put their things;
• Graduates keeping their things in storage pending new employment in a new location;
• Students taking a year out abroad as part of their course;
• Students taking a gap year before starting work.

Self storage for students in Greater Manchester and beyond can be found with companies like Pink Storage, whose  student self storage  is both economical and easy to access.

Pink Storage offers container storage which is a great amount of space - 120 square feet, enough for the contents of a small three bedroom house.

To keep costs down, many students therefore club together to hire one of our highly accessible units over the summer period in particular to save themselves money and inconvenience, and to stay on the good side of parents who really don´t need a lorry full of bits coming home with them! Because the space is so large, it works out a lot cheaper for them.

Business Storage

According to investment firm Midas, the ten metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester represent the largest city region economy outside London.

Manchester is a leading European business destination, and the most successful city for attracting foreign direct investment outside London across multiple industries.

The Industrial Revolution started here, and the area continues to excel in business. Certain key sectors stand out, including digital and technology; creative and media; advanced manufacturing; financial, professional and business services; and life sciences and healthcare.

The city also has an ambitious science-based target to be carbon neutral by 2038 – 12 years ahead of the rest of the UK.  It is getting ready to lead as a sustainable city - net zero - in the future, backed by local government and innovative businesses. It´s estimated that this will generate inclusive economic growth of £7bn and provide 100,000 jobs.

Yet however leading edge a company is, it will still have things it needs to archive.

All of these flourishing businesses can find reasonably priced/cheap self storage to help them keep their premises costs low by sensibly using business storage facilities for things like archiving and for expensive camera and recording equipment that needs to be safely stored whilst not in use.

(And of course, while office rental prices are lower than London, for start ups, using off-site facilities means your home can be your office.)

Pink offers the guaranteed cheapest storage prices in Manchester

Pink Storage has two self storage facilities in Manchester, on Gorton Road (M11 2DZ) and in Trafford Park, Stretford (M17 1HG).

Award winning customer service, fabulous reviews on TrustPilot, fantastically clean and dry units, state of the art security 24/7, and a super simple sign up procedure are backed up with great value pricing.

Cheapest Prices - up to 64% Cheaper

How does Pink Storage achieve this?

• 'outdoor´ storage units - container storage is generally cheaper than old fashioned storage (as we´ve seen above);
• investment in technology;
• a price match promise;
• introductory offers;
• discounts for armed forces and blue light workers;
• discounts for long term storage.

Three simple steps to get started with a cheap self storage unit in Manchester

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Latest offer: New customers can save 75% off their storage for the first 12 weeks.

Find out more about what Pink Storage has to offer: Pink Self Storage Manchester