Key points:
- Switzerland is the most expensive country in Europe for international school costs. The Swiss cities of Zurich, Lausanne-Vaud and Geneva are the top three most expensive cities in the continent.
- The least expensive international school costs include Spain and Eastern Europe. Of the ten least expensive cities, four are Spanish and three are located in Eastern Europe.
- Central Europe dominates in the top 10 most expensive cities. Riga in Latvia is the only city in the top 10 located outside of central Europe.
- Certain other big cities in Europe which could be considered expensive go against this trend. Rome, Berlin and Madrid for example are all outside of the top 10, in 13th, 17th and 19th positions in our list respectively.
- For the third year in a row Copenhagen remains the least expensive city for international education, despite its reputation as being a high-cost destination.
- There is a broad range of median prices for international schools in Europe. Only four cities have median prices above $20,000 per year. The remainder of cities are split between those that cost between $10,000 - $20,000 and those that cost under $10,000 per year.
At the International Schools Database, we help local and expat parents choose the perfect international school for their children. Our database allows parents to find, research and compare international schools around the world. Naturally, this means that we gather and analyse a huge amount of information about international schools.
Starting in 2019, we began using this data to evaluate the prices of international schools across the globe. In this article, we share and analyze the prices of international schools in Europe updated to 2022.
Below, we have analysed price data from 31 cities in 20 European countries, in graph and table forms. While we have used all price data available to us as of Dec 31st 2022, there may be additional schools and prices not included in each city, because they do not make their price data available or it is unknown to us. Links to additional research focusing in each of the other regions individually and globally can be found at the bottom of this article and here can be found the results of the previous year 2021.
Prices of International Schools in Europe, Per Year
The graph below is known as a box plot graph. It shows a comprehensive view of the range of prices in each city, instead of just an average, as a single average price may not necessarily represent the full picture of prices in each destination. Since there is a lot to unpack in this graph, we have also provided a little explanation on how to read the graph easily at the end of the article.
Highlights and takeaways from the research findings
Once again, Switzerland has the highest cost for international schools in all of Europe. Zurich, Lausanne-Vaud and Geneva are the three most expensive cities in the content, with median prices of between $23,000 and $28,000 per year. Only one other city in Europe, London, has a median price in this range. The median price of Zurich, the most expensive city in Europe, is 6 times higher than the least expensive city (Copenhagen).
Like last year, Copenhagen remains the least expensive city for international schooling in Europe. While this may come as a surprise to some due to the Danish capital’s high cost of living, in fact the majority of public and private schools in Denmark receive state funding which keeps costs low.
Central Europe is the most expensive region overall, with 9 of the 10 most expensive cities in the region located here. Riga is the only city outside of Central Europe to be included in the top 10. Besides Switzerland and Latvia, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Austria and France are all included in the top 10.
At the other end of the spectrum, the most affordable destinations when it comes to European international schools are Spain and Eastern Europe. 7 of the 10 least expensive locations are Spanish or Eastern European cities (Mallorca, Malaga - Costa del Sol, Alicante - Costa Blanca, Valencia, Vilnius, Warsaw, and Sofia). The remaining locations at the less expensive end of the scale are Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and the Algarve.
Some of Europe’s biggest cities – for example, Rome, Berlin and Madrid – are neither at the higher or lower end of our list of European cities. Instead, they sit 13th, 17th, and 19th positions respectively. This shows that a city’s size and reputation is not necessarily reflected in the prices of its international schools. The median prices in these cities range from just under $9,000 per year to under $12,000, compared with over $21,000 per year in London and more in Switzerland.
In general, there is a wide range of median prices for international schools across Europe. Outside of Switzerland and London, which have median prices of above $20,000 per year, there is a steady scale from $4,500 per year (Copenhagen) to $17,270 (Riga). 13 cities have median prices between $10,000 - $20,000, while 14 have prices under $10,000, representing a fairly equal divide.
You can find a breakdown of exact prices for each European city in the table below. But if Europe isn’t enough, we have also compiled price data for other regions and cities around the world; you can find links to this additional research at the bottom of this article. If you require any further information or have additional questions, don't hesitate to contact us at andrea@international-schools-database.com.
