10x20 Storage Units: What Fits and What They Cost
A 10x20 storage unit is 200 square feet and rents for a national median of $159/mo across the 2064 priced 10x20 units we track. It fits a three-bedroom house, or a car.
What fits in a 10x20?
A 10x20 is 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep, or 200 square feet of floor. In practice that holds:
- The contents of a three-bedroom house, appliances included
- A car. At 20 feet deep the unit is longer than the 18-foot length of a standard parking space
- A one-car garage: a workbench, tools, and yard equipment
- A full household load with a walkway from the door to the back wall
In boxes: a medium moving box is 18 by 18 inches at the base, or 2.25 square feet, so 200 square feet is room for about 88 of them in a single layer on the floor. Boxes stack, so 4 layers, roughly chest height, is on the order of 352 boxes. Both figures assume you use every square foot and never need to reach the bottom of a stack, so treat them as the ceiling on what a 10x20 holds rather than a packing plan.
What does not fit in a 10x20?
The limits are easier to check than the capacity, because each one comes down to a single measurement:
- A two-car garage. A two-car garage is roughly 20 by 20 feet, twice the width of a 10x20.
- Anything wider than 10 feet. A 10x20 is exactly as wide as a 10x10; all of the difference is depth.
- A four-bedroom house plus a garage. That combination is a 10x30 conversation.
What the size name does not tell you
Ceiling height. A 10x20 is 200 square feet of floor and the name says nothing about how high you can go. At an 8-foot ceiling that same footprint encloses roughly 1,600 cubic feet, and more than half of that volume sits above waist height. Ceiling heights vary between buildings and are not part of the advertised size, so ask the facility rather than assuming.
The door opening. The door is not the same as the 10-foot wall behind it. Roll-up and swing doors are sized independently of the unit, so measure your widest single item, such as a sofa, a mattress, or a refrigerator, and confirm the door dimensions with the facility, not just the unit dimensions.
How you reach it. Two 10x20 units at the same price can be very different to move into. A drive-up unit you back a truck up to; an interior unit means a hallway, possibly an elevator, and then 20 feet of carrying at the far end. On moving day that difference is measured in hours.
The mistake people make with a 10x20
"Garage-sized" is the phrase that gets 10x20 renters into trouble.
A 10x20 is routinely described as garage-sized, and it is the size of a one-car garage. A two-car garage is about 20 by 20 feet, twice as wide, so a house plus a two-car garage will not go into one 10x20. The second trap is the vehicle. A 10x20 is physically long enough for most cars, but whether a facility rents units for vehicle storage, and what it asks for if it does, is set by that facility rather than by the unit size. Confirm it before you reserve rather than after.
When a 10x20 is the right size
- A three-bedroom house during a move or a sale
- A one-car garage being cleared out
- A car, motorcycle, or small trailer, where the facility allows it
- A contractor holding tools and materials between jobs
- A long-distance move where everything waits in one place
What a 10x20 costs
The national median is $159/mo, across the 2064 priced 10x20 units we track. That is a midpoint across every city on this site, not a quote: it is the online rate operators publish on their own sites, half the units we track are above it, and none of it accounts for local rates or promotions. Use your own city's page for the number you will actually pay.
10x15 vs 10x20 vs 10x30
Stepping up from a 10x20 to a 10x30 adds 100 square feet, 50% more floor. Both units are 10 feet wide, so every one of those square feet is depth. The unit gets longer, not roomier across.
| Size | Sq ft | vs 10x20 | What fits | Priced units tracked | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10x15 | 150 sq ft | −50 sq ft (−25%) | A two-bedroom apartment or small house. | 1893 | $113.40/mo |
| 10x20 | 200 sq ft | Same | A three-bedroom house, or a car. | 2064 | $159/mo |
| 10x30 | 300 sq ft | +100 sq ft (+50%) | A four-plus-bedroom house or large vehicle. | 349 | $239.95/mo |
Cheapest 10x20 storage unit by city
| City | Cheapest 10x20 | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Louisville, KY | $20/mo | Extra Space Storage at 6708 Preston Hwy |
| San Antonio, TX | $27/mo | Extra Space Storage at 9018 Poteet Jourdanton Fwy |
| Charlotte, NC | $27/mo | Extra Space Storage at 1005 Linwood Rd |
| Houston, TX | $33/mo | Extra Space Storage at 3321 Center St |
| Las Vegas, NV | $35/mo | Extra Space Storage at 2824 E Evans Ave |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $35.10/mo | CubeSmart at 4416 Sw 3rd St |
| Denver, CO | $36/mo | Extra Space Storage at 8700 Devonshire Blvd |
| Dallas, TX | $38/mo | Public Storage at 2909 S State Highway 360 |
| Atlanta, GA | $38/mo | Public Storage at 3369 Canton Road |
| Austin, TX | $55/mo | Extra Space Storage at 12408 Harris Branch Pkwy |
| Philadelphia, PA | $57/mo | Extra Space Storage at 10 Cadillac Rd |
| Nashville, TN | $57/mo | Public Storage at 671 Myatt Drive |
| Chicago, IL | $58/mo | Extra Space Storage at 5525 W Roosevelt Rd |
| El Paso, TX | $70/mo | Extra Space Storage at 7115 S Desert Blvd |
| Seattle, WA | $76/mo | Public Storage at 9011 Evergreen Way |
| Miami, FL | $87/mo | Public Storage at 4501 SW 54th Street |
| Portland, OR | $99/mo | Public Storage at 6301 NE 88th St |
| San Jose, CA | $103/mo | Public Storage at 1220 Dempsey Road |
| Los Angeles, CA | $122/mo | Public Storage at 1917 Long Beach Blvd |
| San Diego, CA | $153/mo | Public Storage at 9890 Pacific Heights Blvd |
Common questions about 10x20 storage units
How much does a 10x20 storage unit cost?
The national median online rate for a 10x20 is $159/mo, across the 2064 priced 10x20 units we track. Half of those units are cheaper than that and half are more expensive. What you actually pay depends on the city and the individual facility, so compare your own city rather than budgeting from the median.
Can you park a car in a 10x20 storage unit?
It fits. A 10x20 is 20 feet deep, longer than the 18 feet of a standard 9-by-18-foot parking space, so most cars and many small trucks clear it with room to open a door. Whether a particular facility rents units for vehicle storage, and on what terms, is up to that facility. Confirm before reserving.
Is a 10x20 storage unit the same as a garage?
The same as a one-car garage, roughly. It is not a two-car garage, which is about 20 by 20 feet and twice as wide. If you are emptying a two-car garage as well as a house, one 10x20 will not hold both.
Is a 10x20 big enough for a three-bedroom house?
For the house itself, yes. 200 square feet takes three bedrooms of furniture, a living room, a dining set, and appliances. Add a garage, a workshop, or a full basement and the load starts pointing at a 10x30.