Self Storage Facility Startup Cost Calculator

Between $700K and $1.75M for the build-out and equipment, depending on format. The cheapest way in is portable containers at $700K; the most expensive is climate controlled at $1.75M. Those are the one-time costs to open the doors, not the working capital you need to survive the months before the business pays for itself.

At these sizes a lender typically covers 70 to 80 percent of the build-out, so the owner finds $200K to $440K in equity depending on format. That is the deposit, not the total: you also need cash to cover the operating loss until break-even, which most first budgets leave out entirely and which is the single most common reason a viable self storage facility closes anyway.

Rent is the fixed cost that does not care how the month went: $0 to $0 a month at these formats, plus staff, utilities, insurance and the loan payment. The build-out figure is a one-off; the monthly figure is what decides whether the business survives, which is why the calculator above ends at "cash needed to open" and the full model carries on month by month.

They are the same calibrated presets Revenue Map runs its self storage facility model on, one per format, covering build-out, financing, floor area, rent and headcount. They are US figures for 2026 and they are starting points, not quotes: your location and your landlord will move them, which is why every number in the model is editable.