US$100,000 versus US$500,000 for a computer science degree. Which one would you sign your name to?
It doesn’t look dramatic — just a single digit separating the two. But that digit can shape how you save, spend, and stress about money long after graduation. One route means manageable debt. The other could mean repayments that last a lifetime.
In the world of studying abroad, this one number can have huge consequences. That’s why the smartest decision often comes down to the details.
Our methodology
We analysed the top-ranked universities in 10 countries, using the QS World University Rankings 2026 as our benchmark.
To keep the comparison fair, we examined degrees in the same field at each institution — comparing apples to apples.
We then calculated the total annual cost by adding tuition fees and estimated living expenses.
The National Taiwan University was founded on March 16, 1928. Source: National Taiwan University Facebook page
5 English-taught computer science degrees below US$100k
Taiwan
National Taiwan University (NTU)
QS World Ranking by Subject: 91
City: Taipei
Degree: BS in Computer Science
Tuition fee per year: 71,960 TWD / US$2,278
Cost of living per year: 168,000 TWD to 226,000 TWD / US$ 5,320 to US$7,156
Total cost per year: 239,960 TWD to 297,960 TWD /US$7,598 to US$9,435
Total cost: 959,840 TWD to 1,191,840 TWD / US$30,392 to US$37,738 (for four years)
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Malaysia
Universiti Malaya (UM)
QS World Ranking by Subject: 64
City: Kuala Lumpur
Degree: Bachelor of Computer Science
Tuition fee per year: RM 29,733 to RM 53,366 / US$5,790 to US$13,596
Cost of living per year: RM18,000 to RM30,000 / US$4,586 to US$7,643
Total cost per year: RM47,733 to RM83,366 / US$12,161 to US$21,239
Total cost: RM143,199 to RM250,098 / US$36,483 to US$63,719 (for three years)
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Poland
Warsaw University of Technology
QS World Ranking by Subject: 201 – 250
City: Warsaw
Degree: BSc in Computer Science
Tuition fee per year: 11,400 euros / US$13,484
Cost of living per year: 3,960 euros to 5,160 euros / US$4,684 to US$6,103
Total cost per year: 15,360 euros to 16,560 euros / US$18,168 to US$19,588
Total cost: 46,080 euros to 49,680 euros / US$54,506 to US$58,764 (for three years)
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China
Tsinghua University
QS World Ranking by Subject: 11
City: Beijing
Degree: Bachelor of Computer Science and Technology
Tuition fee per year: RMB 30,000 / US$4,323
Cost of living per year: RMB 57,456 to RMB 81,456 / US$8,281 to US$11,740
Total cost per year: RMB 87,456 to RMB 111,456 / US$12,605 to US$16,064
Total cost: RMB 349,824 to RMB 445,824 / US$50,420 to US$64,256 (for four years)
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Germany
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
QS World Ranking by Subject: 89
City: Bavaria
Degree: Bachelor of Computer Science
Tuition fee per year: 170 euros / US$201
Cost of living per year: 18,000 euros / US$21,283
Total cost per year: 18,170 euros / US$21,484
Total cost: 54,510 euros / US$64,452 (for three years)
5 English-taught computer science degrees above US$100k but below US$500K
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New Zealand
The University of Auckland
QS World Ranking by Subject: 96
City: Auckland
Degree: BSc in Computer Science
Tuition fee per year: NZ$47,221 to NZ$60,909 / US$28,478 to US$36,734
Cost of living per year: NZ$43,807 to NZ$46,147 / US$26,420 to US$27,831
Total cost per year: NZ$91,028 to NZ$107,056 / US$54,898 to US$64,565
Total cost: NZ$273,084 to NZ$321,168 / US$164,696 to US$193,696 (for four years)
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Australia
The University of Sydney
QS World Ranking by Subject: 36
City: Sydney
Degree: Bachelor of Advanced Computing
Tuition fee per year: AUD$60,600 / US$42,555
Cost of living per year: AUD$30,720 / US$21,572
Total cost per year: AUD$91,320 / US$64,128
Total cost: AUD$365,280 / US$256,512 (for four years)
The University of Toronto was founded on March 15, 1827. Source: University of Toronto Facebook page
Canada
University of Toronto
QS World Ranking by Subject: 12
City: Toronto
Degree: BSc (Hons) in Computer Science
Tuition fee per year: CAD$65,480 / US$47,978
Cost of living per year: CAD$29,820 to CAD$52,476 / US$21,849 to US$38,450
Total cost per year: CAD$95,300 to CAD$117,956 / US$69,828 to US$86,429
Total cost: CAD$279,312 to CAD$471,824 / US$204,658 to US$345,716 (for four years)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology was founded on April 10, 1861. Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
US
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
QS World Ranking by Subject: 1
City: Cambridge
Degree: Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering
Tuition fee per year: US$64,310
Cost of living per year: US$25,030
Total cost per year: US$89,340
Total cost: US$357,360 (for four years)
The University of Oxford was founded in 1096, making it one of the oldest universities in the world. Source: University of Oxford
UK
University of Oxford
QS World Ranking by Subject: 5
City: Oxford
Degree: Bachelor of Computer Science
Tuition fee per year: 62,820 pounds / US$86,116
Cost of living per year: 16,860 pounds to 25,260 pounds / US$23,112 to US$34,627
Total cost per year: 79,680 pounds to 88,080 pounds / US$109,229 to US$120,744
Total cost: 239,040 pounds to 264,240 pounds / US$327,687 to US$362,233 (for three years)
