New York self storage cost: two markets in one state
No free source publishes an average self-storage price for New York, by state, borough or unit size, so this page does not invent one. What can be checked is what the largest US operator reports to the SEC. Public Storage's Form 10-K, FY2025 gives annual realized rent per occupied square foot of $32.97 for its 90 same-store facilities in its New York market, against $22.54 across its whole US same-store portfolio: the fourth highest of the 25 metros it names, behind Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It lists nothing upstate, and upstate is a different market.
By Oliver Wakefield-Smith. Reviewed 16 October 2026.
Public Storage's New York figure, as filed
Public Storage Form 10-K, FY2025 / same-store / New York
| Market | PSA same-store facilities | 2025 rent per occupied sq ft per year | Change vs 2024 | Occupancy 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 90 | $32.97 | +2.0% | 93.2% |
| For comparison: All 2,565 US same-store facilities | 2,565 | $22.54 | +0.5% | 92.0% |
| For comparison: All other markets (outside the 25 named metros) | 673 | $16.28 | +0.4% | 91.5% |
New York
$32.97
per occupied sq ft a year · +2.0% vs 2024 · 93.2% occupied · 90 facilities
For comparison: All 2,565 US same-store facilities
$22.54
per occupied sq ft a year · +0.5% vs 2024 · 92.0% occupied · 2,565 facilities
For comparison: All other markets (outside the 25 named metros)
$16.28
per occupied sq ft a year · +0.4% vs 2024 · 91.5% occupied · 673 facilities
Source: Public Storage, Form 10-K, FY2025, filed 12 February 2026, table "Same Store Facilities Operating Trends by Market" (page 35), read on SEC EDGAR 16 October 2026. Realized rent per occupied square foot is ANNUAL dollars, all unit sizes and climate types blended, net of discounts, across Public Storage's same-store facilities in each metro. It is one operator's figure, not a state or market average, not a monthly rent and not a quote for any unit. Other operators and independents in the same metro can price higher or lower.
The filing calls the market "New York" and this table does not define its boundary, so read it as the New York metro area as Public Storage groups it, not as Manhattan or as the five boroughs. Within the city, land explains the usual ordering (Manhattan dearest, the outer boroughs below it), and the density of the housing explains the demand: the smaller the apartments, the more storage a neighbourhood needs. Occupancy, at 93.2%, was above the portfolio's 92.0%.
Do not multiply this figure into a monthly price for a 10x10 or any other size. It blends every size and climate type across the whole metro, and small units rent for more per square foot than large ones, so the conversion needs a size-mix assumption nobody publishes. No borough, county or upstate city gets a number here, because the filing gives none. Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany facilities, if Public Storage has any, sit in its pooled "All other markets" line ($16.28), which mixes many states and is not an upstate figure.
CubeSmart, Extra Space, Public Storage and U-Haul all operate in the New York metro alongside independent operators, so there is usually more than one facility to quote within reach.
Suburban arbitrage and NJ alternatives
The biggest cost lever for NYC renters is where the unit is. Facilities in Westchester, on Long Island, in Jersey City, Newark or Stamford sit on cheaper land than those in Manhattan or close-in Brooklyn and Queens. Nobody publishes a free comparison by town, so measure it yourself: quote the same size and unit type at your nearest city facility and at two further out.
Then set the saving against access. Count the trips you expect to make, and the cost of each: a transit fare if you are only moving boxes, a rented van or your own car and fuel if you are moving furniture, and the time. For renters without a car, a distant unit realistically means boxes only, or a van every time you need a large item.
For long-term storage of things you rarely touch (heirlooms, off-season clothing in volume, business records), the cheaper site further out usually wins on total cost. For active storage with weekly or fortnightly access, the in-borough premium may be worth it.
What to ask before you sign
- The standard monthly rate and the promotional rate, separately, and when the first increase is due.
- Any administration fee, lock requirement and protection plan or insurance requirement, with the monthly cost of each.
- Access hours, elevator and loading-dock access, and whether vehicles can pull up (often limited in the city).
- Whether the unit is climate-controlled, and which floor it is on.
- A written quote from a facility further out for the same size, to compare against.