Key points:
- Switzerland and the United Kingdom - with four cities in our list between them - were the most expensive countries in Europe for international schools with median prices exceeding $20,000 per year.
- Spain had some of the lowest prices for international schools in the region. Of the top 20 most expensive European cities included in our research, none were located in Spain.
- The majority of European countries included in our research had median prices between $10k - $15k per year. Of the 20 countries included, 12 had median prices within this range.
- Latvia and Hungary went against the trend of the most expensive international school prices being in Western European countries. Both Riga and Budapest were among the top 10 most expensive European cities included in our research.
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 2024.
Below, we have analysed price data from 32 cities in 20 European countries, in graph and table forms. While we have used all price data available to us as of Dec 31st 2024, there may be additional schools and prices not included in each city. This is because they do not make their price data available or because it is unknown to us. Links to additional research focusing on each world region individually and globally can be found at the bottom of this article and here can be found the results of the previous year 2023.
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. 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
Western Europe is usually considered the more expensive part of the European continent, and for costs of international schools this remained mostly true in 2024. Of the 10 highest median prices found in our research of the European region, 8 came from Western European cities. However the remaining two cities may come as a surprise; Riga in Latvia ranked as the 5th most expensive city in Europe with a median price of $18,141 per year. Budapest in Hungary also made it into the top 10 with a median price of $13,373. This was slightly below countries such as Germany, Austria and Belgium.
It was Switzerland and the United Kingdom, however, who claimed the titles of the two most expensive countries in Europe for international schools in 2024. If you’re considering moving to Zurich, you can expect to pay a median price of $30,738 per year for international schooling - the highest median price in the whole European region. London and other locations in Switzerland offered slightly lower median prices, with Lausanne at $25,038 per year, Geneva at $24,090, and London at $23,604.
In contrast to this, Spain had the cheapest median costs for international schooling not just in Western Europe, but the whole European region. Three of the five cheapest median prices found in Europe were Tenerife (the cheapest of all at $4,903 per year), Valencia ($6,585) and Alicante - Costa Blanca ($6,616). Even Madrid and Barcelona - the two largest cities in Spain - were not much higher on the list, ranking 23rd and 24th of 32 cities around Europe with median prices of $9,132 and $9,165 per year.
12 of the 20 European countries included in our research had median prices within the range of $10k - $15k per year, including Austria, Germany, Hungary, Portugal (Lisbon), Italy, France, Romania, Slovakia, Greece, Czechia, Poland, and Bulgaria. Countries with median prices below $10k per year included the Netherlands, Spain, Lithuania, Portugal (Algarve), and Denmark.
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.
