Most and least expensive cities in the world for international schools

28 Nov 2019

China is home to two cities with the world’s most expensive international schools, with Beijing and Shanghai ranked first and second respectively, according to data from the International Schools Database.

Despite that, there are huge differences between the cheapest and most expensive international schools per year in the country, which might enhance their allure for parents with varied income levels.

In Beijing alone, there is more than a US$33,000 difference between the cheapest and most expensive schools, while the minimum and maximum price in Shanghai is US$4,830 and US$38,853 respectively.

Meanwhile, the figure in Shenzhen – a city that neighbours Hong Kong – is US$11,365 and US$31,679 respectively.

Prices of international schools per year

RANK	CITY	MINIMUM	MEDIAN	MAXIMUM
1	Beijing	US$8,097	US$31,253	US$41,389
2	Shanghai	US$4,830	US$30,046	US$38,853
3	Zurich	US$8,052	US$25,630	US$31,406
4	Shenzhen	US$11,365	US$24,577	US$31,679
5	Lausanne – Vaud	US$14,840	US$24,296	US$35,296
6	Geneva	US$14,840	US$23,414	US$28,006
7	Toronto	US$12,489	US$21,979	US$25,283
8	Seoul	US$8,008	US$21,475	US$30,887
9	Singapore	US$4,406	US$20,910	US$37,859
10	Guangzhou	US$11,231	US$20,741	US$29,818

Source: International Schools Database

Cheapest cities in the world for international schools

International Schools Database notes that some of the cheapest minimum prices in the world for an international school education is in Africa, while the Middle East is also home to several affordable schools.

Their research found that Kampala – Uganda’s capital – is home to the least expensive school worldwide, at just US$523 per year.

Meanwhile, minimum prices of international schools in Manama, Bahrain, is US$1,003 per year, US$1,046 for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; US$1,085 and US$2,181 for Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa.

Apart from Manama, four other cities in the Middle East with the cheapest fees per year include: Kuwait City (Kuwait) at US$1,241, Doha (Qatar) at US$1,250, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) at US$1,675, and Dubai (United Arab Emirates) at US$2,317.

However, in the Middle East in particular, researchers note that there is a big range of prices in all cities due to the high numbers of international schools available.

“So while their minimum prices may seem cheap, their maximum prices could be considered quite high, which in turn raises the average prices,” they said.

Some cities in Europe can also offer relatively good affordability.

In Spain, parents can expect to pay a maximum of US$15,095 per year in Madrid, while in Málaga, the maximum price drops to US$10,471 – the cheapest on the continent by a significant margin, and the second cheapest maximum price in the world, according to researchers.