San Diego Self Storage Market Statistics:

Rent Prices, Local Inventory and Development Trends (March 2026)

Self storage has become crucial for navigating major life events. It can be particularly useful for events such as moving, downsizing and when changes in household composition occur, as well as when engaging in home remodeling projects and organizational endeavors. San Diego offers plenty of self storage options to cater to all needs and budgets.

How much does a storage unit cost in San Diego, CA?

Currently, the average cost of a 10x10 storage unit in San Diego is $171/month, a decrease of 5% compared to last year. Nationally, self storage street rates for 10×10 non-climate-controlled units saw a 2.5% year-over-year decrease, registering an average of $118 in March, 2026.

San Diego self storage prices by unit size

Besides the standard 10x10 unit, the San Diego self storage market includes several other types of units that can vary in terms of size and amenities, and naturally, price.

For instance, a 5x5 self storage unit in San Diego rents for $72, while a 5x10 unit would cost $102/month. Average street rates for a 10x20 unit stand at $328/month. Non-climate-controlled units typically come with lower price tags than their climate-controlled counterparts of the same size.

Non-Climate-Controlled Units*

Unit Size	Avg. Street Rate
5x5	$72
5x10	$102
10x10	$171
10x15	$240
10x20	$328
10x30	$429

Climate-Controlled Units*

Unit Size	Avg. Street Rate
5x5	$77
5x10	$106
10x10	$163
10x15	$241
10x20	$317
10x30	$466

* Average monthly rates for San Diego in March 2026.

Average storage unit cost in San Diego by neighborhood

Self storage prices can vary depending on location as some neighborhoods might offer more budget-friendly self storage rates than others.

You can find cheap San Diego storage units in Fairmont Park, where the standard self storage unit goes for $154/mo. on average, in Torrey Pines Preserve, where renters pay $158/mo. on average, and in Lincoln Park, where the average street rates hover around $159/mo.

If you’re looking for other great deals, check out self storage listings, and their average street rates, in Palm City ($166) and Rolando ($172).

Other neighborhoods, on the other hand, come with higher street rates. The most expensive neighborhood in San Diego is Bernardo Springs with a monthly average street rate of $309, followed by Rancho Bernardo.

Cheapest Neighborhoods for Self Storage

#	Neighborhood	Average Street Rate
1	Fairmont Park	$154
2	Torrey Pines Preserve	$158
3	Lincoln Park	$159
4	Palm City	$166
5	Rolando	$172
6	Mission Hills	$176
7	Miramar	$180
8	Barrio Logan	$186
9	Otay Mesa	$192
10	Sorrento Valley	$193

Most Expensive Neighborhoods for Self Storage

#	Neighborhood	Average Street Rate
1	Bernardo Springs	$309
2	Rancho Bernardo	$300
3	Carmel Mountain	$297
4	Egger Highlands	$250
5	Ocean View Hills	$238
6	Mission Valley West	$230
7	Miramar Ranch	$228
8	Encanto	$225
9	Otay Mesa West	$224
10	Pacific Beach	$221

Compare average storage prices in San Diego neighborhoods

Neighborhood prices

Whether you'd prefer a storage unit near your home, your office or somewhere else in the city, you can compare two of your preferred neighborhoods by selecting them on the left.

San Diego avg. rent

Neighborhood #1

Neighborhood #2

Want to find the best self storage deals? Browse listings in your preferred San Diego neighborhoods and San Diego Zip Codes for more details on what’s available and compare rent prices, unit sizes and amenities.

How San Diego, CA, Self Storage Compares With Other Cities

How self storage costs in San Diego compare to prices in other nearby cities

Check out the table below to see how self storage in San Diego compares rent-wise to other places within a 50-mile radius.

#	City	Average Street Rate
1	Encinitas, CA	$191
2	Chula Vista, CA	$189
3	LA Mesa, CA	$177
4	San Diego, CA	$171
5	Lakeside, CA	$167
6	Ramona, CA	$166
7	El Cajon, CA	$164
8	San Marcos, CA	$159
9	Spring Valley, CA	$139
10	LA Jolla, CA	$124

Average street rates for non-climate-controlled 10x10 units for March 2026.

How self storage costs in San Diego compare to rates in other sought-after cities in the US

Check out the table below to see how self storage rent in San Diego compares to other popular cities in the US.

#	City	Average Street Rate
1	New York City, NY	$257
2	San Diego, CA	$171
3	Las Vegas, NV	$112
4	Phoenix, AZ	$111
5	Jacksonville, FL	$110
6	Dallas, TX	$106
7	Austin, TX	$106
8	San Antonio, TX	$97
9	Houston, TX	$96
10	Oklahoma City, OK	$73

Average street rates for non-climate-controlled 10x10 units for March 2026.

Self storage market size in San Diego, CA

San Diego self storage market statistics

No. of self storage units	approx. 11,287
No. of self storage facilities	81
Local self storage inventory (sq. ft.)	6,761,928
Self storage sq. ft. per capita	4.2
New self storage facilities set for delivery in 2026	3
New self storage supply set for delivery in 2026 (sq. ft.)	317,995
Average self storage rent in San Diego for a standard 10x10 unit	$171

San Diego self storage construction trends

The self storage sector has maintained an active development pipeline in recent years. In 2025 alone, about 91,460 square feet of self storage space came online in San Diego, representing 1.4% of the existing inventory. Compared to the year before, self storage inventory in San Diego has increased by 1.4%.

Currently, there are 81 self storage facilities and approx. 11,287 storage units in San Diego. The local inventory encompasses 6,761,928 square feet of storage space, offering 4.2 square feet per capita.

A total of 317,995 square feet of self storage space is projected for completion in 2026, an increase of 247.7% compared to last year.

What’s driving demand for self storage?

Quick overview of the San Diego housing market

Total no. of households	537,532
Y-o-y change in no. of households	-1.7%
Renter households in San Diego	286,920
Homeowner households in San Diego	250,612
Households with mortgages in San Diego	172,855
Median number of rooms (all housing units)	4.6
Average apartment size (sq. ft.)	877
Average home size (sq. ft.)	1,450
Average apartment rent	$2,967
Median home value	$944,200
Working from home (% of total working population)	14.6%

Self storage for residential clients: key facts and figures about the San Diego housing market

Generally associated with life events, the self storage industry is equipped to respond to people with changing housing situations, whether that means moving, downsizing, welcoming a new baby, or embracing multi-generational living. Lifestyle choices are also a demand driver for self storage, including preferences for snowbirding, digital nomading and RV travelling.

Looking at the type of residential customers that the San Diego self storage sector serves, it caters to both renters and homeowners, acting as extensions of their homes when living spaces are not big enough for the things people own.

San Diego is home to 286,920 renters and 250,612 homeowners. The average apartment size in San Diego is 877 sq. ft. and the average San Diego home size is 1,450 sq. ft.

Self storage for business

Alongside the residential sector, self storage responds to needs arising from conducting business. Entrepreneurs and small business owners, including brick-and-mortar retailers, can turn to self storage to store their merchandise all while keeping it accessible.

Legal and medical professionals often turn to self storage as they are generally required to keep hard copies of their records. Realtors and interior designers also find self storage particularly useful for temporarily storing staging furniture. Moreover, blue collar businesses can benefit from storing their heavy equipment and supplies close to their work site.

Expert insights on San Diego's self storage market

Get expert insights into the city's self storage industry, from socio-economic factors to the market dynamics of supply and demand.

Tom de Jong

Senior Vice President, Colliers

The self-storage sector has seen a boom in new construction since the economic recovery coming out of the Great Recession. Driving this trend is a flood of new sources of institutional capital combined with the continued improvement in operating metrics for existing storage facilities.

Which factors underpin the local boom of self storage development in the past few years?

Rents, occupancy rates and operating incomes have all risen faster than in almost any other commercial real estate asset class, pushing opportunistic developers to enter the market. Across most markets we have seen an increase in supply in excess of 10% over the past 6-7 years.

Where does local demand for self storage come from?

Self-storage demand has benefited from a confluence of events, many of which were accelerated during COVID; several of the most prominent reasons for the increased demand include the work-from-home requirement with many folks reorganizing space to accommodate efficient workspace, home gym equipment due to fitness center closures, small business closures that pushed these owners to find storage for their most valuable assets, heightened divorce rates, and college-aged kids moving back into their parents' homes. These are some primary drivers of the increased demand for storage.

What major economic events affected the self storage industry in San Diego?

COVID has likely been one of the main factors; however, the cost of living in San Diego has pushed folks into smaller spaces with limited storage options. Combined with the amount of folks moving into the San Diego area to enjoy the climate and all that San Diego has to offer is certainly a factor impacting storage demand.

How do you envision the future of the local self storage industry, in the medium- and long-term?

As the economics of building storage have gotten tougher with rising land prices, limited supply of viable sites and the increased costs to build, there will likely be a slight deceleration in the amount of new building in San Diego in the mid-term. Longer-term will be determined by the continued improvement in self-storage profitability.

If the metrics continue to improve, the demand for new self-storage projects will certainly remain elevated and developers will get more creative. Most new self-storage projects built today are multi-story, climate-controlled and architecturally pleasing buildings, not the stereotypical drive-up facilities of the past!

Explore self storage market trends across top U.S. cities

Where does our data come from?

All data related to self storage was compiled by StorageCafe, an online self storage search portal featuring nearly 31,000 listings across the U.S.

The self storage rental statistics on this page were sourced from our sister company, Yardi Matrix, the industry's most comprehensive market intelligence tool for investment professionals, equity investors, lenders and property managers who underwrite and manage investments in the multifamily, student housing, self storage, office and industrial sectors. Yardi Matrix maintains operational profiles for over 40,000 self storage facilities across the U.S.

Average home size data is from PropertyShark, while demographic data is from the latest U.S. Census Bureau release, the 2020 American Community Survey.