How Much Does Off-Campus Housing Cost Near George Mason?

Off-campus housing near George Mason costs about $650 to $1,100 a month for a room in a shared Fairfax house, $1,379 to $1,609 per bed at The Main on University, and $1,790 to $2,300 for your own one-bedroom, based on Find My Place listings checked in October 2026. Got roommates? Split a regular three- or four-bedroom and you're looking at roughly $700 to $1,100 each, utilities extra. Fairfax prices off the D.C. market, so George Mason off-campus housing cost is steep by Virginia standards.

Key Takeaways

• Cheapest room we found: $650, one bedroom in a four-bedroom house on Sideburn Rd (0.6 miles out).
• The Main on University charges $1,379 to $1,459 per bed in a 4x4, so the shiny student building is not where you save.
• Want to live alone? Budget $1,790 at minimum (Fairfax Circle Villa) and closer to $2,200 near campus.
• Split a whole apartment. That beats a per-bed lease by $500 or more a head in most of the matchups we ran.
• Dorm doubles: $8,730 for 2026-2027, for roughly nine months instead of twelve.
• Base rent only, on almost every Fairfax listing we checked (get the all-in number before you sign anything).

George Mason Off-Campus Housing Cost by Housing Type

What you rent matters way more than where. Here's how the 21 properties on our off-campus housing near George Mason page break down once you sort them by what you are actually renting. Quick footnote: Masonvale is missing on purpose. It pops up in search, but it's Mason's own faculty, staff, and grad community on the east side of campus, so it isn't open to undergrads.

Rooms in shared houses: $650 to $1,100

This is where the bargains are. Homeowners around Fairfax rent out single bedrooms, like the room at 4203 Sideburn Rd for $650, which is close enough to walk. Fairfax Room Rental by GMU on Stoughton Rd asks $750. A bedroom with a shared bath on Roundtop Ct, listed as 1bedroom shared bathroom walk to GMU, runs $950 to $1,100.

The catch? You are living with whoever else rents the house, and these listings rarely say what utilities cost. Text the owner first.

Per-bed student apartments: $1,379 to $2,299

The Main on University sits 0.4 miles from campus on University Dr. Its four-bedroom plans list at $1,379 to $1,459, the two-bedrooms at $1,579 to $1,609, and the one-bedrooms at $2,279 to $2,299. Rent drops as bedroom count rises, and the leasing site sells "bed spaces," so those are per-person prices.

The Flats on University, 1.3 miles away on the same road, lists from $1,064. Weird pricing, though. The two-bedroom costs less than the three-bedroom, and the three costs more than the four. Call and ask whether that's per bed or per unit.

Conventional apartments: $1,790 to $3,270 per unit

Normal apartment complexes price the whole unit, and rent climbs with every bedroom you add. A one-bedroom starts at $1,790 at Fairfax Circle Villa Apartments on Blake Lane and $2,200 at eaves Fairfax City, which is only 0.6 miles from Mason. Three-bedrooms at Gainsborough Court on Jermantown Road run $2,885 to $3,270.

Is Splitting a Fairfax Apartment Cheaper Than a Per-Bed Lease Near GMU?

Yes, usually by a lot. A four-bedroom at Fairfax Circle Villa lists at $2,785, which is about $696 each across four people. The cheapest 4x4 bed at The Main costs $1,379. That is a gap of nearly $700 a month per person, or over $8,000 a year.

The three-bedroom math lands in the same place. Fairfax Square's Ashton I plan is $2,756 for the unit (about $919 each). The Reserve at Fairfax Corner's three-bedroom is $3,160, or roughly $1,053 split three ways.

So what do you give up? Distance, mostly. Fairfax Circle Villa is 2.9 miles out and Gainsborough is 2.4, versus 0.4 for The Main.

You also take on one shared lease, which means if a roommate bails you are all on the hook. For a lot of Mason students (honestly, most of the ones on a budget) that trade is worth it.

How Off-Campus Rent Compares to Living on Campus at George Mason

A traditional double in Presidents Park or The Commons costs $8,730 for 2026-2027, per Mason's Housing and Residence Life rate sheet. That works out to around $970 a month over a nine-month school year. A suite-style double is $9,580, and an apartment double in Liberty Square or Potomac Heights is $11,900.

Off-campus leases near Fairfax almost all run twelve months. Twelve months at The Main's cheapest bed is $16,548. Twelve months in that $650 Sideburn Rd room is $7,800, which actually beats a dorm double, though on-campus rates bundle utilities and the Fairfax room listings mostly don't say whether theirs do.

The fair comparison is total yearly spend, not monthly rent. Run both numbers before you decide.

Why Rent Near George Mason Runs Higher Than Most of Virginia

Fairfax is a Northern Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C., and rents follow the D.C. market, not the student market. The U.S. Census Bureau puts median gross rent in the City of Fairfax at $2,245 for 2020-2024, according to Census QuickFacts. You are competing with commuting professionals for the same units.

Our own Fairfax student housing page puts shared units at roughly $800 to $1,300 per person, noting that Northern Virginia runs steeper than the rest of the state. That is the honest middle of the market.

Listings under $800 are almost all single rooms in houses. Under $700? We found exactly one.

Hidden Costs to Add to Your George Mason Off-Campus Housing Budget

Base rent is not your real number. On Find My Place, nearly every Fairfax listing still says the property "hasn't listed its monthly fees yet." Get the full monthly figure in writing.

• Utilities and internet, which the private room listings near Mason don't spell out.
• Parking. Mason sells semester, monthly, weekly, and daily permits, and you will want one if you drive in from Gainsborough or Fairfax Circle.
• Furniture, unless the listing specifically says furnished.
• A security deposit and application fees up front.

One cost you can skip: the CUE bus is free with a Mason ID between the Fairfax campus, the City of Fairfax, and Vienna Metro, per Mason Parking and Transportation.

Frequently Asked Questions About George Mason Off-Campus Housing Cost

What is the cheapest off-campus housing near George Mason?

$650 a month, for a room in a four-bedroom house at 4203 Sideburn Rd, 0.6 miles from campus. Fairfax Room Rental by GMU at $750 is next. Neither says what utilities run, so ask.

What does a one-bedroom apartment near GMU cost?

$1,790 to $2,300 a month, give or take. Fairfax Circle Villa starts at $1,790, Fairfax Square at $1,825, and eaves Fairfax City at $2,200. A one-bedroom at The Main on University lists at $2,279.

Is The Main on University priced per person?

Yes. Its four-bedroom plans list at $1,379 to $1,459 and the one-bedrooms at $2,279 or more, which only makes sense per bed. The leasing site also sells individual "bed spaces."

Is it cheaper to live on or off campus at George Mason?

Depends on what you rent. The $650 Sideburn Rd room comes to $7,800 over twelve months, which beats an $8,730 on-campus double, while a $750 room ($9,000 a year) is basically a wash. A per-bed apartment loses badly, since twelve months at The Main is nearly double.

When should I start looking for off-campus housing near George Mason?

Now, if you want a student building. The Main is already advertising leases that start August 2027. Room rentals in houses show up whenever an owner has a vacancy, so keep checking.