What Size Storage Unit Do You Need for a 1 Bedroom Apartment?
For most one-bedroom apartments, the standard recommendation is a 5x10 storage unit - 50 square feet, roughly 400 usable cubic feet under an 8-foot ceiling. But here's what the size guides don't tell you: a typical one-bedroom's storable belongings - mattress, sofa, dresser, table, a dozen boxes - add up to only 150 - 250 cubic feet. You'd be renting a room and filling half of it. In New York that gap has a price: a 10x10 unit averages $271 a month while a 5x5 averages $97 (StorageCafe, 2026), so one size class of over-renting costs about $2,088 a year. And if you're really asking "how do I declutter my NYC apartment without renting a storage unit at all" - that's exactly what on-demand storage is: urBin picks your items up at your door, photographs each one into your app, stores them by the cubic foot they actually occupy, and delivers anything back when you ask.
Storage Unit Sizes, In Plain Numbers
| Unit size | Floor area | Usable volume (8-ft ceiling) | What actually fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5x5 | 25 sq ft | ~200 cu ft | Boxes, suitcases, a bike, seasonal wardrobe - a large closet's worth |
| 5x10 | 50 sq ft | ~400 cu ft | The usual 1-bedroom recommendation: queen mattress set, sofa, dresser, boxes |
| 10x10 | 100 sq ft | ~800 cu ft | A 2-bedroom's worth - or a very expensive half-empty room |
| 10x15+ | 150+ sq ft | ~1,200+ cu ft | Multi-bedroom homes, not apartments |
A 10x10 storage unit is 100 square feet of floor - ten feet by ten feet - and with the roughly 8-foot ceilings most facilities use, about 800 cubic feet of stackable space. A 5x10 is half that footprint: the size of a walk-in closet. These are the numbers the big size guides publish (several hide them in infographics), and the top-ranking guides don't even agree on which one a one-bedroom needs - the #1 result suggests anything from a 5x5 to a 5x15.
The Math Nobody Does: Your Apartment in Cubic Feet
A typical NYC one-bedroom (500-750 sq ft) storing the classic renovation/declutter set:
- Queen mattress and frame - about 25 cubic feet
- Sofa - about 40-50 cubic feet
- Dresser - about 20 cubic feet
- Dining table and two chairs - about 30 cubic feet
- 12 medium boxes - about 36 cubic feet
- Suitcases, bike, misc - about 25 cubic feet
Roughly 175-190 cubic feet - less than half of a 5x10's usable volume, and less than a quarter of a 10x10's.
The honest answer to "what size storage unit for a 1 bedroom apartment" is: probably a 5x10, of which you will use half. The better question is why you're renting by the room at all.
What Over-Renting Costs in New York
NYC market rates (StorageCafe, 2026): a 5x5 non-climate unit averages $97/month, a 10x10 averages $271/month, and climate-controlled units run to $1,805/month at the largest sizes. Rent one size class more than your belongings occupy and the difference is roughly $174 a month - about $2,088 a year for air. That's before the van rental and the cross-town trips every time you need the winter coats back.
Skip the Guessing: Storage Priced by What You Store
The on-demand alternative, concrete: urBin picks up at your door (walk-up or elevator building), wraps and photographs every item into a digital inventory, stores it in a secure, climate-monitored facility, and charges for the cubic feet your belongings occupy - not a fixed room. Need one item back? Request it in the app and it's delivered. The unit-size question stops existing.
Estimate It in Minutes
film your rooms with urBin's Room AI Scanner and get a volume estimate without a tape measure - the "storage calculator" people search for, answered with a camera.
| Traditional unit | urBin on-demand |
|---|---|
| You haul items to the facility | Pickup at your door |
| Fixed room sizes (5x5, 5x10, 10x10) | Priced by cubic feet actually used |
| You remember what's inside | Photo inventory of every item in the app |
| Retrieval = a trip across town | Delivery back on request |
| Pay for empty space | Pay only for stored volume |
What About Studios and 2-Bedrooms?
A studio's storables usually fit a 5x5-class volume, about 100-150 cubic feet. A 2-bedroom typically maps to the 10x10 recommendation, about 350-500 cubic feet of actual belongings - same logic, bigger numbers.
Items That Need Climate Protection
- Wood furniture: humidity can cause warping and cracking.
- Artwork: temperature swings can cause fading and curling.
- Electronics: moisture can damage internal components.
- Leather: humidity can weaken fibers and finish.
- Seasonal clothing: damp air can encourage mildew.
- Instruments: wood expands and contracts with changing conditions.
- Collectibles: climate fluctuations can reduce value.
For sensitive items, climate-controlled storage is the safer choice in NYC.
Conclusion
The size guides can't agree because the question is framed wrong. Count cubic feet and a one-bedroom usually needs half the unit it's told to rent; skip the unit and you only ever pay for the half you use. Book a pickup and let the app do the measuring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size storage unit do I need for a 1-bedroom apartment?
The standard market recommendation is a 5x10 unit (50 sq ft, ~400 usable cubic feet). In practice a one-bedroom's storable belongings usually total 150-250 cubic feet - about half a 5x10 - which is why volume-based storage like urBin's typically costs less than the unit you'd be told to rent.
How big is a 10x10 storage unit?
100 square feet of floor - ten by ten feet - and with the ~8-foot ceilings most facilities use, roughly 800 cubic feet of stackable space. It's the usual recommendation for 2-bedroom homes; for a one-bedroom it's typically double what you need.
What fits in a 5x10 storage unit?
A queen mattress set, a sofa, a dresser, a small dining set, and a couple dozen boxes - the contents of most one-bedroom apartments with room left over.
Is there a storage calculator I can use?
urBin's Room AI Scanner estimates your storage volume from a phone video of your rooms - no tape measure, no guessing between unit sizes. Because pricing is by cubic foot, the estimate is the quote.
How much does a storage unit cost in NYC?
NYC averages run about $97/month for a 5x5 and $271/month for a 10x10 (StorageCafe, 2026). Renting one size larger than your belongings occupy costs roughly $2,088 more per year - see our full NYC storage cost guide.
How can I declutter my NYC apartment without renting a storage unit?
Use on-demand storage: urBin picks up your items at your door, photographs each one into your app inventory, stores them by volume in a secure, climate-monitored facility, and delivers anything back on request. No unit, no van, no trips.
How do I get single items back from storage?
Request the item in the urBin app - every stored piece is photographed and listed individually - and it's delivered to your door. You never dig through a unit to find one box.
Do my belongings need climate-controlled storage?
Wood furniture, electronics, leather, artwork, and instruments do - NYC's humid summers and dry winters damage them in unconditioned space. urBin stores everything in a climate-monitored facility by default.