Riyadh, Abu Dhabi among world’s cheapest cities for international schools

Riyadh has been ranked as the cheapest city in the GCC region when it comes to the cost of international schools, according to a new study.

The report, published by the International Schools Database website, compared the average monthly costs of international schools in 25 cities across the world.

It based the figures on averages calculated on the price of a full term for one six-year old child, excluding one-time fees like enrollment fee and application fee. Only those cities with seven or more international schools were considered.

South Africa’s Cape Town was found to be cheapest city, costing $319 on average per month for an international school. Copenhagen in Denmark followed with $345 while the Saudi city of Riyadh was ranked third on the list, costing $411 on average.

Regionally, Abu Dhabi ranked sixth on the list ($722), followed immediately by Doha ($752) and Dubai in the 11th place ($1,009).

Also read: Revealed: Most and least expensive schools in Dubai

The most expensive cities were found to be Shanghai ($2,783), followed by the Swiss cities of Zurich ($2,057) and Geneva ($1,863).

The report also looked at the prices for international schools in comparison to the typical monthly rent for expats in the same cities.

For the comparison, the report calculated the price of international schools as a percentage of rent prices.

Shanghai once again proved the most expensive, with education costing 37 per cent more than rent on a monthly basis. On the other hand, people in Copenhagen pay only 17 per cent of their monthly rents for their child’s international school education.

Overall, the report also found that international school prices tend to correlate with local prices, and are not fixed at a “global price”.

Hence cheaper cities tend to have cheaper tuition fees while more expensive cities also have more expensive international schools, it claimed.

“This could suggest that international schools do not only depend on generous expat packages paid by big companies; they also (and often mostly) depend on locals and expats on locally-indexed salaries. This would explain why their prices fall in line with the local cost-of-living for expats,” the report added.

TOP 10 CHEAPEST CITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL EDUCATION

1. Cape Town, South Africa

Average monthly cost at an international school: $319

Average rent in expat area: $1,329

International schooling cost as a percentage of rent price: 24%

2. Copenhagen, Denmark

Average monthly cost at an international school: $345

Average rent in expat area: $2,018

International schooling cost as a percentage of rent price: 17%

3. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Average monthly cost at an international school: $411

Average rent in expat area: $1,209

International schooling cost as a percentage of rent price: 34%

4. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Average monthly cost at an international school: $492

Average rent in expat area: $763

International schooling cost as a percentage of rent price: 65%

5. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Average monthly cost at an international school: $495

Average rent in expat area: $1,998

International schooling cost as a percentage of rent price: 25%

6. Abu Dhabi, UAE

Average monthly cost at an international school: $722

Average rent in expat area: $2,634

International schooling cost as a percentage of rent price: 27%

7. Doha, Qatar

Average monthly cost at an international school: $752

Average rent in expat area: $3,316

International schooling cost as a percentage of rent price: 23%

8. Manila, Philippines

Average monthly cost at an international school: $783

Average rent in expat area: $1,043

International schooling cost as a percentage of rent price: 75%

9. Nairobi, Kenya

Average monthly cost at an international school: $875

Average rent in expat area: $1,570

International schooling cost as a percentage of rent price: 56%

10. Bangkok, Thailand

Average monthly cost at an international school:$888

Average rent in expat area: $1,297

International schooling cost as a percentage of rent price: 68%