Renting vs buying a storage container in Laurel, MS
In Laurel and the rest of Jones County you can rent a storage container by the month from a local yard or buy a used one delivered to your lot. Rent for a renovation or a few months of overflow; buy if the box will still be there next year, because past about 11 months, renting a used 20ft has cost more than buying one delivered, and the box you bought resells when you are done. Longleaf sells and does not rent.
Rent or buy: the actual numbers
Delivered to Petal, MS (39465). Rental is a Gulf South container rental company's online quote, checked October 2026; buying is our live delivered price today.
| 20ft used (wind & watertight) | 40ft high cube used | |
|---|---|---|
| Rent: per month | $139 | $189 |
| Rent: delivery and pickup, up front | $971 | $971 |
| Rent: 6 months, total paid | $1,805 | $2,105 |
| Rent: 12 months, total paid | $2,639 | $3,239 |
| Buy from us, delivered | $2,545 and you keep it | $3,260 and you keep it |
| Renting costs more after | about 12 months | about 13 months |
A used box you own still resells when you are done with it. Prices for your own ZIP are on the containers page; pay over time with Affirm or Klarna at checkout.
Rent for the job, buy for the years
Laurel is 39440 through 39443, with Ellisville, Sandersville, Moselle and the rest of Jones County around it. Rental yards serving the area quote monthly rent plus delivery and collection; those are their numbers and we do not repeat them. Our delivered prices for any Jones County ZIP are on the containers page, so comparing a year of rent against owning takes a minute.
The honest split: short and temporary is a rental. A shop behind the house, a storage building at a camp off Highway 15, a feed room, a business in the industrial park that will have overflow next year too — that is a purchase. The rent vs buy guide runs the break-even.
What a Laurel lot has to give the truck
A straight, firm run of about 110 feet for a 20ft or 130 feet for a 40ft, 15 feet of clear sky, and ground that holds a loaded tilt-bed. Laurel's older neighbourhoods near downtown and the historic district have narrow drives and big trees that often take a 20 and not a 40; most of the county has room for either. See delivery access.
Check the rules before a permanent placement, not after. Laurel has a designated historic district and, like every Pine Belt town, its own view on how a container used as a permanent storage building on a residential lot is treated. One call to the City of Laurel's planning or code office, or to Jones County planning if you are outside the limits, settles setbacks and any permit. If you are in a subdivision, read the covenants; HOAs are usually the stricter of the two. See permit rules.
What to ask before you agree to anything
Renting: the rent per month, delivery and collection quoted separately, minimum term. Buying: the total delivered to this address for this exact grade, and what happens if the box arrives worse than described. Ours is delivered, authorized not charged until we confirm the order and window with you, and typically on the ground 7–10 business days after that.
Then the lock box and vents from the accessories page, because theft and condensation are what actually go wrong. See containers for sale — delivered price by ZIP
Only need it for a few months?
For a short job, renting is the right call, and we do not rent. Tell us your ZIP and how long, and we will point you to a local rental company that delivers there.
Buying a container?
Longleaf sells used and one-trip 20ft and 40ft shipping containers, delivered by tilt-bed across the Pine Belt. Enter your ZIP for the delivered price — it comes straight from the supplier feed and already includes the haul. Locks, vents, shelving and lights are on the accessories page. We sell; we do not rent.
- 20ft Standard Cargo Worthy (used) — from $2,885 delivered
- 20ft Standard One Trip (new) — from $3,635 delivered
- 20ft Standard Wind & Watertight (used) — from $2,470 delivered
- 40ft High Cube Cargo Worthy (used) — from $3,525 delivered
- 40ft High Cube One Trip (new) — from $4,925 delivered
- 40ft High Cube Wind & Watertight (used) — from $3,210 delivered
- 40ft Standard Cargo Worthy (used) — from $3,525 delivered
- 40ft Standard One Trip (new) — from $6,355 delivered
- 40ft Standard Wind & Watertight (used) — from $3,160 delivered
Keep reading
- How long can you rent a container before buying makes more sense? — How long can you rent a container: month-to-month terms have no ceiling, but past about a year a used container you own costs less and resells when done.
- Buy a shipping container or build a shed? — Shipping container vs shed: the real cost of each once you count slab, labour and time, where a built shed is the better building, and where the box wins.
- Are containers safe in a hurricane? — Is a shipping container safe in a hurricane: why steel and weight handle inland wind, why water and placement are the real risks, and how to anchor one.
- Renting vs buying a storage container in Wiggins, MS — Storage container rental vs buying in Wiggins, MS: how Stone County gets quoted from two directions, when renting is right, and when a box you own wins.
- Renting vs buying a storage container in Hattiesburg — Storage container rental vs buying in Hattiesburg, MS: when a month-to-month rental is right, when owning a used container wins, and what a Hub City lot needs.
Across the Pine Belt
Hattiesburg · Petal · Laurel · Ellisville · Purvis · Sumrall · Columbia · Collins · Seminary · Wiggins