Education without borders
International school, private healthcare, and a house with a pool — for less than your old mortgage payment. The kids won't complain.
40
destinations
40
countries
7
regions
50
avg cost index
Why families are going abroad
Here's the uncomfortable math: a typical US family spends $15,000-30,000/year on childcare alone. Add housing, health insurance, and saving for college, and you're working to stand still. Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, a top-tier international school (IB curriculum, native English teachers) costs $8,000-15,000/year — and everything else costs less too.
Worldschooling isn't just about saving money, though that's a powerful motivator. It's about giving your kids a perspective they can't get from a textbook. Living in Thailand teaches more about Southeast Asian culture than any AP class. Learning Spanish by immersion in Colombia beats any Duolingo streak. And the social skills kids develop navigating different cultures are the real competitive advantage.
We track international school costs across 40 cities on this page. Right now 11 of those cities expose at least one source-backed school row (84 schools total), 24 cities are estimate-only and should be treated as directional until direct school or tuition sources are linked, 2 cities currently have only a city-level aggregate school cost signal with no per-school rows yet, and 0 cities still need clearer provenance before we should treat their school coverage as fully trustworthy.
39 of the current destinations also expose a country-level public-school fit profile, and 25 currently look at least conditionally usable for resident foreign families. That matters because worldschooling is not always an international-school-only decision: sometimes the local public system is a viable Plan B, and sometimes it clearly is not.
Top destinations
Ranked by cost of living, data quality, and relevance.
#1Barranquilla
🇨🇴 Colombia · 1.2M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 1 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-15 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Mixed public-school option · Available to residents · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#2Mérida
🇲🇽 Mexico · 1.2M
Estimate-only schools 2 · Checked 2026-03-23 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Mixed public-school option · Available to residents · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,130/mo family est. (rent $600 · food $420 · utilities $110) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#3Kathmandu
🇳🇵 Nepal · 1.4M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 2 · British 1 · Checked 2026-03-14 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
#4Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa · 4.8M
Source-backed schools 27 · IB 17 · British 4 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-30
Public-school fit · Mixed public-school option · Possible, but uneven · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,590/mo family est. (rent $900 · food $550 · utilities $140) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#5Plovdiv
🇧🇬 Bulgaria · 329K
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 1 · British 1 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-15 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Mixed quality · Resident families can use it · PISA 421 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#6Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina · 2.9M
Source-backed schools 22 · IB 21 · British 1 · Checked 2026-03-30
Public-school fit · Good public schools in the right fit · Available to residents · PISA 402 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,120/mo family est. (rent $600 · food $400 · utilities $120) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#7Turku
🇫🇮 Finland · 207K
Estimate-only schools 1 · IB 1 · Checked 2026-02-17 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Resident families can use it · PISA 487 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#8Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia · 1.0M
Source-backed schools 1 · IB 1 · Estimated 2 · Checked 2026-02-16
Public-school fit · Good local-school option · Available, but localized · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,270/mo family est. (rent $700 · food $450 · utilities $120) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#9Dammam
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia · 1.3M
Estimate-only schools 3 · British 2 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-15 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Public schools are for nationals · Not practical for most expat families · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#10Naples
🇮🇹 Italy · 909K
Aggregate school cost only · Source: Curated (school websites) · Checked 2026-02-14 · No per-school rows yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Available to residents · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#11Gdańsk
🇵🇱 Poland · 487K
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 1 · British 1 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-23 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Resident route is viable · PISA 488 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#12Quito
🇪🇨 Ecuador · 2.8M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 2 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-14 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Below-average public schools · Resident families can use it · PISA 383 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,130/mo family est. (rent $600 · food $420 · utilities $110) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#13Lille
🇫🇷 France · 239K
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 1 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-15 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Available to residents · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#14Bandung
🇮🇩 Indonesia · 2.4M
Source-backed schools 3 · IB 2 · British 1 · Published results 2 · Checked 2026-03-15
Public-school fit · Limited public-school fit · Possible, rarely the expat choice · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#15Granada
🇪🇸 Spain · 234K
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Available to residents · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#16New Orleans
🇺🇸 United States · 363K
Public-school fit · Mixed public-school option · Available to residents · Checked 2026-04-02
#17Tallinn
🇪🇪 Estonia · 394K
Source-backed schools 1 · IB 1 · Estimated 2 · Checked 2026-03-14
Public-school fit · Excellent public schools · Resident families can use it · PISA 510 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,980/mo family est. (rent $1,200 · food $620 · utilities $160) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#18Porto
🇵🇹 Portugal · 253K
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 1 · British 1 · Checked 2026-03-23 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Available to residents · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,980/mo family est. (rent $1,200 · food $620 · utilities $160) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#19Zagreb
🇭🇷 Croatia · 664K
Source-backed schools 3 · IB 1 · British 1 · American 1 · Published results 3 · Checked 2026-03-14
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Possible, but local-language heavy · PISA 475 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#20Kuala Lumpur
🇲🇾 Malaysia · 1.5M
Source-backed schools 3 · IB 2 · British 1 · Published results 2 · Checked 2026-03-14
Public-school fit · Mixed public-school option · Possible, but constrained · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,430/mo family est. (rent $800 · food $500 · utilities $130) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#21Vilnius
🇱🇹 Lithuania · 542K
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 2 · Checked 2026-03-14 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Resident families can use it · PISA 466 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,660/mo family est. (rent $950 · food $560 · utilities $150) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#22Bergen
🇳🇴 Norway · 294K
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 2 · Checked 2026-03-15 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Resident families can use it · PISA 477 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#23Berlin
🇩🇪 Germany · 3.4M
Source-backed schools 1 · IB 1 · Estimated 2 · Checked 2026-03-14
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Available to residents · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#24Dublin
🇮🇪 Ireland · 1.0M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 1 · British 2 · Checked 2026-03-14 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Resident route is viable · PISA 504 (2022) · Checked 2026-04-02
#25Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil · 6.7M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 3 · Checked 2026-03-15 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Mixed public-school option · Available to residents · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#26Almaty
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · 2.0M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 1 · British 2 · Checked 2026-02-16 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Mixed public schools · Possible, but language-heavy · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#27Saint Petersburg
🇷🇺 Russia · 5.4M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 1 · British 1 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-15 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Possible, but language-heavy · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#28Brno
🇨🇿 Czechia · 379K
Aggregate school cost only · Source: Curated (school websites) · Checked 2026-02-14 · No per-school rows yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Possible, but language-heavy · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#29Copenhagen
🇩🇰 Denmark · 1.2M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 3 · Checked 2026-02-16 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Resident families can use it · PISA 489 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#30Athens
🇬🇷 Greece · 664K
Source-backed schools 3 · IB 1 · British 1 · American 1 · Checked 2026-02-16
Public-school fit · Mixed public schools · Resident families can use it · PISA 445 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,780/mo family est. (rent $1,000 · food $620 · utilities $160) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#31Osaka
🇯🇵 Japan · 2.8M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 3 · Checked 2026-03-15 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Excellent public schools · Resident access, but a hard fit · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#32Abu Dhabi
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates · 1.8M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 3 · Checked 2026-02-16 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Mixed — expats mainly use private schools · Usually not practical for expats · PISA 427 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$3,330/mo family est. (rent $2,200 · food $850 · utilities $280) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#33Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary · 1.7M
Source-backed schools 17 · IB 12 · British 3 · Checked 2026-03-30
Public-school fit · Mixed public-school option · Possible, not easy for expats · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,730/mo family est. (rent $1,000 · food $580 · utilities $150) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#34Da Nang
🇻🇳 Vietnam · 1.3M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 2 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-15 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Limited public-school fit · Possible, rarely the expat path · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$950/mo family est. (rent $500 · food $360 · utilities $90) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#35Bangkok
🇹🇭 Thailand · 5.1M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 2 · British 1 · Checked 2026-03-23 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Limited fit for most expats · Possible, rarely the expat choice · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,600/mo family est. (rent $900 · food $550 · utilities $150) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#36Bucharest
🇷🇴 Romania · 1.9M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 1 · British 1 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-14 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Possible, but language-heavy · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,310/mo family est. (rent $700 · food $480 · utilities $130) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
#37Qingdao
🇨🇳 China · 7.2M
Source-backed schools 3 · American 2 · Checked 2026-03-15
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Legally possible, hard in practice · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#38Stockholm
🇸🇪 Sweden · 1.5M
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 2 · British 1 · Checked 2026-03-14 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Available to residents · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
#39Belfast
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · 348K
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Resident route is viable · Checked 2026-04-02
#40Riga
🇱🇻 Latvia · 743K
Estimate-only schools 3 · IB 1 · British 1 · American 1 · Checked 2026-03-14 · Directional research only · No direct school or tuition links yet
Public-school fit · Mixed quality · Resident families can use it · PISA 449 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-02
~$1,610/mo family est. (rent $900 · food $560 · utilities $150) — Numbeo + expat research, 2025-Q4
International school costs
International schools vary enormously in price and quality. The best value isn't always the cheapest — it's the best education-to-cost ratio. On this page, source-backed school rows are counted separately from estimate-only rows so you can tell whether a city's tuition signal comes from linked school/directory evidence or directional research. Important: most schools also charge registration, facility, and activity fees that add 10-20% to the base tuition.
Southeast Asia
Best value globally. Quality IB schools in Bangkok, KL, and HCMC from $5,000-12,000/year. Top-tier options like ISKL or ISB at $15,000-25,000/year — still half of US equivalents.
Latin America
Growing international school market. Good options in Mexico City, Bogotá, São Paulo from $8,000-18,000/year. More limited outside capital cities.
Southern Europe
Portugal, Spain, Greece offer IB schools at $8,000-20,000/year. Strong quality, smaller class sizes, European cultural immersion.
Middle East
Dubai and Abu Dhabi have world-class international schools but prices reflect it: $12,000-30,000/year. Excellent facilities and curricula.
Family-friendly costs
Families have different spending patterns than singles or couples. You need more space (3-bedroom vs. 1-bedroom), more groceries, childcare or school fees, and family health coverage. The good news: family cost advantages compound. A 3-bedroom apartment in Lisbon's center costs $1,200-1,800/month — roughly what a 1-bedroom costs in San Francisco. Groceries for a family of four run $400-600/month in most of our top destinations, compared to $800-1,200 in a US metro area.
Making the transition
Moving abroad with kids sounds daunting, and it is — logistically. But families who've done it consistently report the same thing: the kids adapt faster than the parents. Most international schools accept mid-year enrollment. The biggest challenges are healthcare continuity and maintaining friendships back home. Both are solvable. Start with a 3-6 month trial in a worldschooling hub (Lisbon, Chiang Mai, Medellín) where established expat family communities can ease the landing.
Ready to see the numbers?
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