Self storage in Leicester costs from £7 a week for a 10 sq ft locker to £86 a week for a 200 sq ft ground-floor unit at Smartbox Self Storage on Putney Road (prices exclude VAT). Mid-size units of 50 to 100 sq ft cost £33 to £55 a week. Smartbox publishes every price online, with no deposit, no admin fees and no minimum stay, and all units are currently 50% off for the first two months.
How much does self storage cost in Leicester?
The price you pay depends mainly on the size of the unit and which floor it's on. At Smartbox Leicester, the smallest locker costs £7 a week and the largest ground-floor unit costs £86 a week, with every size in between listed online rather than quoted on request.
To turn a weekly price into a monthly one, multiply by 4.333. A 50 sq ft first-floor unit at £33 a week works out at about £143 a month before VAT.
Other Leicester providers price differently. Shurgard, 0.3km away on Freemens Common Road, also publishes its prices online. Storage Giant and Safestore give headline offers but ask you to get a quote for a specific unit. That makes it harder to compare like for like, so the sections below set out exactly what we found on each provider's website.
How much does each unit size cost at Smartbox Leicester?
Every unit size above 10 sq ft comes in a ground-floor and a first-floor version. Smartbox is currently offering 50% off all unit prices for the first two months. The table shows both the offer price and the standard weekly rate you'll pay after that, excluding VAT.
Weekly prices excluding VAT, taken from the Smartbox Leicester prices page on 23 October 2026. The 50% offer applies to the first two months; standard rates apply after that. Availability varies, and some sizes may be sold out at any given time.
Two sizes stand out on value. The 75 sq ft first-floor unit costs only £2 a week more than the 50 sq ft first-floor unit, and the 75 sq ft ground-floor unit costs the same as the 50 sq ft ground-floor unit. If you're unsure whether 50 sq ft will be enough, the bigger unit costs little or nothing extra.
Why are first-floor units cheaper than ground-floor units?
At almost every size, the first-floor unit costs less than the ground-floor equivalent. The gap ranges from £1 a week on a 35 sq ft unit to £21 a week on a 200 sq ft unit.
The one exception is 125 sq ft, where the ground-floor unit is £1 a week cheaper than the first-floor one.
If you're storing things you won't need often, such as seasonal items, archive boxes or furniture between homes, a first-floor unit is usually the cheaper choice. If you'll be in and out regularly with heavy items, the ground floor may be worth the extra.
“Most people who come to us aren’t sure how long they’ll need the space. With half price for the first two months and no minimum stay, a short stay costs very little, and nobody gets tied into paying for weeks they don’t need.” — Roger Canham, Director, Smartbox Self Storage Leicester
How much does storage cost for a typical stay?
Because Smartbox charges a weekly rate with no minimum stay, the total cost is the weekly price multiplied by the number of weeks you need, with the first two months at half price. Here are three common examples using first-floor prices, excluding VAT:
- Student summer storage: a 10 sq ft locker for 12 weeks costs about £54 with the offer (£84 at standard rates)
- Gap between house moves: a 50 sq ft unit for 8 weeks costs £132 with the offer (£264 at standard rates), because the whole stay falls within the first two months
- Six-month renovation: a 100 sq ft unit for 26 weeks costs about £1,083 with the offer (£1,300 at standard rates)
The shorter your stay, the bigger the share of it that falls within the half-price period. Because there's no minimum term, you aren't tied in for longer than you need if your plans change, such as a completion date moving forward.
For students, a locker can also be shared with friends, which splits the weekly cost further.
What else should you budget for?
The weekly rate is the main cost, but it's worth checking what else applies before you book. At Smartbox Leicester:
- VAT is added to the prices shown, which are listed excluding VAT
- No deposit is required
- No reservation or admin fees are charged
- No minimum stay applies, and you only pay once you move in
- No padlock is needed, because every unit has a digital lock you open with your smartphone
- StoreProtect is a goods protection cover added to your weekly rent, or you can use your own home contents insurance if it covers items in storage.
When comparing providers, check the same list for each. Introductory offers are the biggest variable: a low first-month price matters less than the standard rate you'll pay for the rest of your stay.
How do Smartbox prices compare with other Leicester providers?
Here's what each provider's Leicester branch page showed on 23 October 2026.
Shurgard's page doesn't state whether its prices include VAT. Offers change often, so check current rates with each provider.
On standard rates, Smartbox's listed prices are lower than Shurgard's at both comparable sizes: £20 to £22 a week against £31.62 for 25 sq ft, and £33 to £38 a week against £45.23 for 50 sq ft. Smartbox's prices exclude VAT, though. With VAT added, a 25 sq ft Smartbox unit costs £24 to £26.40 a week, still below Shurgard's listed rate. A 50 sq ft unit costs £39.60 to £45.60, so the ground-floor unit is roughly level with Shurgard if Shurgard's price already includes VAT. Both providers are also running offers. During Smartbox's first two months, a 25 sq ft unit costs £10 to £11 a week (£12 to £13.20 with VAT), below Shurgard's promotional rate of £15.69. A 50 sq ft unit costs £16.50 to £19 a week (£19.80 to £22.80 with VAT), against Shurgard's £22.62. Shurgard is also offering a £1 first month, so for a stay of a month or so it may work out cheaper. For a longer stay, compare what each provider charges once its offer ends.
Storage Giant and Safestore don't publish unit prices, so you'll need a quote from each to compare
How can you keep your storage costs down?
Best for keeping costs down:
- Choosing a first-floor unit if you don't need frequent access
- Sizing accurately, using the size calculator before you book
- Checking whether the next size up costs little more, as with 50 and 75 sq ft at Smartbox
- Comparing standard rates, not just introductory offers
Not suitable if you're trying to save money:
- Paying for a ground-floor unit when a first-floor unit of the same size would do
- Booking a much larger unit "just in case" when you can move to a bigger one later
- Choosing on a first-month offer alone without checking the ongoing rate
