International school fees compared across 14 expat cities

Start with comparable quotations

The table gives selected school examples across 14 cities. It is not a ranking of the cheapest or most expensive city: currencies differ, the examples cover different schools and some schedules are older than others.

Use the receiving school’s confirmed grade placement. Year 7 and Grade 6 are useful comparison points, but age cutoffs and previous schooling can change placement. Compare the same entry year, tax treatment and services before drawing conclusions.

Keep three amounts separate: annual spending, one-time non-refundable charges and refundable deposits. A deposit increases the cash needed to start school, while an advance tuition payment should not be counted twice.

The numbers

Selected annual tuition examples around Year 7 or Grade 6

Amounts below are annual tuition in local currency, with the grade band and schedule year shown. Some entries are historical or drawn from secondary compilations; confirm them against the school’s current quotation. These are examples of individual schools, not city averages.

The Saudi examples include VAT for non-Saudi pupils. Garden International’s figure excludes SST, while Dulwich Singapore’s includes GST, so compare tax-inclusive amounts. BIS HCMC’s annual discount deadline has passed, so later applicants pay the undiscounted rate.

The Kuwait figure comes from a secondary compilation. BSAK’s figure is a dated 2025–26 example. Keep those limitations in mind when comparing them with current school quotations. Our city guides cover school options in each destination.

Charges to check beyond tuition

Keep joining charges, recurring costs and refundable deposits in separate totals. A reservation or re-enrolment payment credited against tuition should not be counted twice.

• Dubai College, 2026–27: the new-pupil personal debenture is AED 30,000, repayable on departure less outstanding amounts. A return bus costs AED 2,500 per term, or AED 7,500 across three terms. The schedule also lists a 5% annual re-registration payment; confirm its treatment against the tuition invoice.
• Doha College, 2026–27: Years 7–11 tuition is QAR 70,137 across three terms. Add QAR 5,000 annual capital charge and QAR 3,650 one-time registration. Those charges total QAR 78,787 for a new pupil before extras. The QAR 1,000 stationery deposit is separately refundable under the school’s terms. The QAR 2,000 re-enrolment payment is credited against tuition.
• British School Muscat, 2026–27: a new Year 7 pupil’s OMR 8,460 tuition, OMR 50 assessment and three OMR 300 infrastructure payments total OMR 9,410 before extras or discounts. The infrastructure charge runs for the first nine terms, subject to stated exceptions. The OMR 100 refundable deposit is separate; the OMR 300 reservation payment is deducted from first-term tuition.
• Garden International School, 2026–27: Years 7–8 regular tuition is RM 118,170 before SST. Its EAL programme tuition is RM 135,900 before SST, a difference of RM 17,730. The EAL figure is a separate programme total, not a surcharge to add in full to regular tuition.

These examples do not include every family’s transport, meals, devices, uniform, activities or learning support, which can add materially to the bill. Our language and learning-support guide explains what to confirm about provision and cost.

For senior pupils, ask which examinations are included and which incur entry, administration or invigilation charges. Do not add a generic examination allowance when the school can provide a subject-specific estimate.

Read the terms of deposits and debentures

A capital levy, refundable deposit and debenture can have different purposes and repayment rules. The name alone does not tell you whether a payment is compulsory, refundable, transferable or linked to admissions priority.

HKIS lists optional Family and Standard Corporate debentures of HK$3 million and a Comprehensive Corporate debenture of HK$5 million. They do not guarantee admission. Qualified holders receive wait-pool priority; the instruments cannot be sold, and only the Family Debenture has limited transfer rights to the purchaser’s children or grandchildren. The school also charges an annual HK$24,500 capital levy. Read the applicable policy before assuming when money can be recovered.

Dubai College’s 2026–27 personal debenture is a different arrangement: AED 30,000 for new pupils, returned on departure less outstanding amounts. Do not apply Hong Kong terminology or repayment assumptions to another school’s deposit.

Ask who owns the instrument, what it provides, when repayment is possible and what deductions apply. If an employer funds it, agree who receives the repayment and what happens when employment ends. Include the initial payment in cash planning without treating a recoverable amount as recurring tuition.

Check how fee increases are approved

Approval rules shape future tuition increases, and some cover only tuition while transport and other charges follow separate rules. The examples below summarise the dated reporting used for this guide.

Dubai: the 2025–26 framework used an Education Cost Index of 2.35%, with permitted increases linked to inspection outcomes. Reporting for 2026–27 describes a tuition freeze, which does not extend to transport and other services.

Abu Dhabi: ADEK approval is required for increases. Reporting on exceptional increases describes conditions including audited losses, operating history and occupancy; an older percentage is not a current entitlement.

Qatar: reporting on the School Fees Policy 2026 describes earlier notice of approved increases and staged implementation for increases above 5%, with the policy taking effect from 2027–28.

Kuwait and Oman: the cited sources describe ministry oversight of fees. Kuwait’s investment guide is from 2022 and the Oman legal summary concerns an earlier regulation; neither should be treated as a current school quotation.

Saudi Arabia: analysis of the education law published in July 2026 describes fee setting against ministry criteria. Ask which implementing rules and complaint process currently apply.

Budget in both the billing and income currencies

Record the currency of the school’s invoice and the currency in which your family or employer funds it. Convert comparable totals on the same date, including transfer charges. A conversion used for an initial comparison is not a forecast of the exchange rate when later bills fall due.

Use a few clearly labelled scenarios. For example, if an annual bill is unchanged in local currency but each unit of that currency costs 10% more in your income currency, the converted bill rises 10% before transfer charges. A tuition increase can add to that change. These are planning assumptions, not predictions.

Some schools quote in one currency but accept payment in another, at a rate fixed on a date of their choosing. Ask an employer whether its allowance is a fixed amount, reimbursement of eligible invoices or a converted allowance with a stated calculation date.

Plan payment dates alongside the annual total. Termly or semester bills may fall due before reimbursement arrives, and a move during the year does not automatically produce a proportional refund.

Include tax and confirm the employer’s contribution

Tax treatment varies. The Dulwich Singapore example includes 9% GST. The AIS-R and AISJ schedules distinguish Saudi and non-Saudi pupils, with 15% VAT included in the non-Saudi examples shown here. Garden International School quotes its tuition before 6% SST; request the total applicable to your child, including any exemption.

Read the education allowance in your employment agreement: the eligible children and school years, annual limit, payment currency, reimbursement dates, and whether it covers tax, application and joining fees, capital charges, transport, support and examinations.

Agree who funds refundable deposits and who receives repayment. Ask what happens if you leave the employer during the school year or if the school bill exceeds the allowance. A general description of an expatriate package cannot settle those terms for your family.