Self storage in Melbourne CBD: what the sizes cost and how to pick one

Storage pricing is quoted by square metre, which is not much help when what you actually want to know is whether your things will fit.

This guide translates the sizes into what they hold, sets out what each band costs in the Melbourne CBD, and covers the questions worth asking before you sign.

What each size actually holds

**2 to 3 sqm — from about $80 a month.** A large cupboard. Seasonal items, archive boxes, sporting equipment, a bike or two, suitcases. This is the right size for apartment overflow, and it is the most commonly under-estimated: people book it expecting to fit furniture and find they cannot.

**4 to 6 sqm — roughly $130 to $200 a month.** Comfortably takes the contents of a one-bedroom apartment: a bed, a sofa, boxed kitchenware and a wardrobe's worth of clothing. Also the practical minimum for business stock or trade equipment you need to access regularly.

**7 to 10 sqm — roughly $250 to $400 a month.** The contents of a two-bedroom apartment or a small office fit-out. White goods, a dining setting, multiple bed frames and thirty-plus boxes with room to walk in.

Prices vary with floor level, access and how close the unit sits to the goods lift. Units on the ground floor or immediately by the lift carry a premium because moving in and out of them is faster.

Working out the size you need

The reliable method is to stack everything you plan to store in one room at home, in the footprint you would use in the unit — boxes to head height, furniture upright where possible. Measure that footprint. That is your minimum.

Then add roughly 20% if you will need to get to things regularly, because a unit packed wall to wall means unloading half of it to reach anything at the back.

Two common mistakes are worth avoiding. The first is measuring floor area but forgetting height: most units allow stacking well above shoulder level, so a small footprint goes further than people expect. The second is booking the smallest unit that technically fits, then paying to upgrade a month later.

What to check before you sign

• **Access hours.** Seven-day access is standard; confirm the actual hours and whether after-hours entry is possible.
• **Lift and loading access.** If you are moving furniture, ask where you park, how far the walk is, and whether the goods lift needs booking.
• **Climate conditions.** Documents, electronics, timber furniture and anything upholstered all suffer in an uncontrolled space over a Melbourne summer.
• **Security.** Individual locks, monitored access and camera coverage. Ask who else can enter your unit and under what circumstances.
• **Insurance.** Storage contents are usually not covered by the facility's policy. Check whether your home and contents insurance extends to goods in storage — often it does, up to a limit.
• **Notice period.** One month is standard. Avoid fixed terms longer than that for personal storage.

CBD storage versus outer-suburban

Storage in an outer suburb is cheaper per square metre — sometimes materially so. Whether that is a saving depends entirely on how often you need to visit.

If you are storing genuine long-term archive material you touch once a year, distance costs nothing and outer-suburban is the rational choice. If you are a city resident storing seasonal items, or a business storing stock you access weekly, an hour of round-trip driving each visit erases the difference quickly.

For anyone living or working in the CBD, being able to walk to the unit is usually worth the premium.

Storage at 601 Little Collins Street

Touchwood manages The Archive, a self-storage facility at 601 Little Collins Street in the Melbourne CBD, with units ranging from 2.2 sqm to 10 sqm on flexible month-to-month terms. Every unit has individual locks, monitored access, goods lift access and seven-day entry.

You can see each available unit with photos, exact dimensions and pricing on our storage page, so you can check the fit before enquiring.