1-bedroom container home
A 1-bedroom home needs two 40 ft High Cube containers, side by side. One on its own is a studio.
The minimum area depends on your community
Spain has no single minimum area for a dwelling. It is set by each autonomous community’s habitability rules and, sometimes, by the municipal plan. These are the new-dwelling minimums we have checked in the regulations:
| Community or municipality | Minimum usable area | Regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Cataluña | 36 m² | D 141/2012 |
| País Vasco | 35 m² | D 80/2022 |
| Comunitat Valenciana | 30 m² | Orden DC-09 |
| Illes Balears | 30 m² | D 145/1997 |
| Extremadura | 25 m² | D 113/2009 |
| Ciudad de Madrid | 40 m² | PGOU 1997, mod. 2023 |
For the other communities we could not confirm the minimum in the regulations: ask your ayuntamiento.
A 40 ft High Cube has about 29.7 m² built and 25.8 m² usable: not enough in Cataluña, País Vasco, Comunitat Valenciana, Illes Balears or the city of Madrid. It is a studio or an annex. Two side by side give 59.4 m² built and 54.4 m² usable, above all those minimums.
Rooms, widths and height
- Width. A lined container ends up about 2.20 m wide inside. That is why the 2×40 opens the central wall in the living area, giving a living room about 4.4 m wide.
- Height. Cataluña, Comunitat Valenciana, Illes Balears, Galicia and Extremadura ask for a 2.50 m ceiling height in new dwellings. A 40 ft High Cube ends up about 2.55 m after lining: it just makes it. A standard container does not.
- Bedrooms, living room, kitchen and bathroom. Each community sets its own minimums. In the Comunitat Valenciana, for example: single bedroom 6 m², double 8 m², living room 9 m², kitchen 5 m² and bathroom 3 m².
How much a 1-bedroom container home costs
The 2×40 model costs between €62,141 and €84,073, VAT included, land excluded: Balanced finish, one-trip containers, urban plot with utilities. The Contentar 1-bedroom plan, with the central wall opened and the reinforcement that needs, comes to between €69,598 and €94,162.
Container prices from Spanish depots (2025–2026) and building work with a Spain factor on the Contentar engine, checked in November 2026. IVA (VAT) at 21%. Canarias, Ceuta and Melilla are not covered.
Do not call a 1×40 a house
Some adverts sell a single 40 ft container as a home. With about 26 m² usable, it would only meet the Extremadura minimum (25 m²). It works as a studio, office or annex. If you want to live in it, plan for two.
See the 2×40 cost line by line, or switch to a used container and another finish.
Work out my cost See the Contentar guide · €19Indicative. Always confirm with the ayuntamiento and an architect before you choose a model.